FLORENCE, Ala. (9/14/24) – A stellar offense and another strong defense showing lifted the Arkansas State volleyball team to its fifth consecutive win, as the Red Wolves swept UAB 3-0 (25-12, 25-12, 25-21) on Saturday at the UNA Invitational.
A-State (8-1) hit a blistering .458 on offense – its best attack percentage since a .464 mark versus Georgia Southern on Oct. 28, 2017 – and held the Blazers (5-3) to a .125 mark. The Red Wolves' five-match winning streak matches last year's season-best.
Kaitlin Whitlock led all players with 16 kills and just two errors, hitting a career-best .519. Grace Wiley added nine kills and a .333 clip with three blocks, while Devyn Lewis hit .643 with nine kills on 14 error-free attacks. Daedrianna Cail also hit in the .600s, registering nine kills and a .615 mark.
Setters Erin Madigan (22 assists) and Valeria Ortiz (21) combined for 43 assists, with Madigan corralling a team-high 13 digs for her fifth straight double-double. Sarah Martinez accounted for two of A-State's five aces.
UAB took the first two points of the match, but would not lead again in the opening set, as an 8-2 run put A-State ahead 9-4 after a block by Cail and Wiley. The Red Wolves expanded their lead to 19-8 on a Cail kill, and then answered a 3-0 UAB run with six of the last seven points to win the first 25-12.
The Red Wolves continued the onslaught in the second set, hitting .533 and cruising to another 25-12 set victory. A-State led by as much as 12 in the frame, with an Abby Harris kill setting up set point. Glunz then clinched the set and gave the Scarlet and Black a two-set lead with a kill.
The Blazers seized early momentum in the third set, leading 12-9 after back-to-back aces, but A-State clawed back to take a 17-16 lead on a Whitlock kill. UAB would tie up the set once more at 19-all, but Whitlock put the Red Wolves ahead for good with a kill. An attack error set up match point, with Wiley delivering the final blow to seal the sweep.
NEXT UP
Arkansas State concludes non-conference play next weekend in Bowling Green, Ky., at the Alyssa Cavanaugh Classic (Sept. 20-21). The Red Wolves open the weekend at host Western Kentucky (Fri., 11 a.m.) before taking on Austin Peay (Fri., 5 p.m.) and Eastern Illinois (Sat., 11 a.m.).
SOCIAL MEDIA
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