JONESBORO, Ark. (10/24/24) – Daedrianna Cail recorded a career-high 17 kills with 11 blocks on Thursday, as she powered the Arkansas State volleyball team to a 3-2 (20-25, 20-25, 25-17, 25-21, 15-12) comeback victory over Troy inside First National Bank Arena.
Behind Cail, who became the first Red Wolf to record a kills-blocks double-double since 2015, A-State (17-4, 7-2 SBC) matched its season high with 17 total blocks and limited the Trojans (8-11, 3-6) to a .186 clip. With the win, the Scarlet and Black improved to 8-0 at home and extended its home winning streak to 10 matches dating back to last season, while also surpassing last season's overall win total..
The Red Wolves hit .219 on the night, with Cail leading at a .394 mark. Kaitlin Whitlock also recorded a double-double, tallying 10 kills and 10 digs. Addison Collum joined Cail with a career-best night, totaling 12 kills. The trio were three of five Red Wolves with seven kills or more, with Yazmyn Billings and Grace Wiley having seven kills each. Erin Madigan doled out a season-high 40 assists in guiding the attack.
Defensively, Billings added four blocks, while Wiley and Collum registered three. Sarah Martinez led in digs with 21, while Mia Maloney had 11.
A-State held early momentum in the opening set, taking a 10-4 lead on an ace by Valeria Ortiz, but Troy inched closer before using a 6-0 run to take a 22-19 lead. After Haley Glunz recorded a kill for a sideout, Troy took the next three points to clinch the first set.
Troy then never trailed in the second set en route to a two-set lead, but Cail and the Red Wolves would not go away quietly.
The visitors struck first in the third, but A-State quickly surged out to a seven-point lead on back-to-back kills by Cail. A block by Cail and Madigan put the Red Wolves up 20-12, and then Billings and Whitlock teamed up at the net for a set-clinching block, extending the match.
In the fourth set, it was the Red Wolves who never fell behind, building a quick double-digit lead that would not be surmounted. A-State held off Troy, which pulled within three, and sent the match to a fifth set on a Collum kill.
The Red Wolves led 5-3 early in the final frame, but Troy pulled ahead 8-7 on a kill by Kalina Calvillo before the teams switched sides. After that, A-State won five points in a row to come within three points of clinching, but the Trojans once again pulled within one on a kill by Tori Hester, who had a match-leading 21 kills. A-State held strong, though, taking three of the final four points to complete the comeback.
NEXT UP
Arkansas State takes on Troy once more on Friday, with first serve set for 4 p.m. inside First National Bank Arena. The match will be broadcast live on ESPN Plus.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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