BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (9/20/24) – Arkansas State volleyball split a pair of three-set decisions on Friday at the Alyssa Cavanaugh Classic, dropping a 3-0 outcome to host Western Kentucky before sweeping Austin Peay in the evening match at E.A. Diddle Arena.
The Red Wolves (9-2) continued their strong start, despite falling in the opener to the perennial NCAA Tournament contender Hilltoppers. A-State's 9-2 start is a continuation of its best start to a season since 2015.
Across the two matches, A-State hit .305 as a squad, averaging 15.17 kills per set along with two aces per frame (12 total).
MATCH 1 – WESTERN KENTUCKY 3, ARKANSAS STATE 0 (25-22, 28-26, 25-20)
Arkansas State held tough against one of the nation's top programs, but ultimately dropped a three-set decision at Western Kentucky in the tourney opener.
Grace Wiley led A-State (8-2) with nine kills and three blocks, while Sarah Martinez corralled 11 digs. WKU (5-6) hit .256 as a squad, including .485 in the final frame, and was paced by Conference USA Preseason Player of the Year Kaylee Cox's 17 kills and 13 digs. The Red Wolves fired seven aces, including three by Kaitlin Whitlock, who also had 10 digs.
The Red Wolves battled back from a 12-5 deficit in the opening set to tie up the frame at 20-all following a Wiley kill and WKU attack error. A-State continued to answer go-ahead points by the Hilltoppers with kills by Wiley and Whitlock, but the hosts took the final three points of the set to take a 1-0 lead in the match, winning the set 25-22.
A-State seized early momentum in the second set, taking a 5-2 lead on multiple miscues by the Hilltoppers, who used a 7-0 run to lead 14-11. WKU expanded that lead out to 18-13, and then the Scarlet and Black answered with six unanswered to lead 19-18. The sides traded leads multiple times, eventually sending the set into extra points. A-State saved a set point to tie it at 26, but the Hilltoppers took the next two points to clinch the extended set 28-26 and lead 2-0 in the contest.
Western Kentucky took command early in the third set, capturing a 7-3 lead, but Bailey Hall capped a 3-0 run to pull A-State within a point. The Hilltoppers again expanded their lead out to 18-12 to force an A-State timeout. The Red Wolves once more rallied to within three, cutting the margin to 18-15 on another kill by Hall. Cox handed the Hilltoppers a match-point opportunity up 24-18, but back-to-back kills by Wiley and Whitlock kept the Scarlet and Black alive. Faith Young then delivered the clincher with a kill, sealing the sweep.
MATCH 2 – ARKANSAS STATE 3, AUSTIN PEAY 0 (25-16, 25-19, 25-16)
In the nightcap, Arkansas State managed to bounce back quickly, never trailing in a three-set sweep over Austin Peay (25-16, 25-19, 25-16).
A-State (9-2) hit a blistering .450 as a team, defeating the Governors (1-9) for the second time this season. Kaitlin Whitlock was one of two Red Wolves with double-digit kills, recording a match-high 11 to go along with 12 digs – also a match high. Whitlock hit .455, while Addison Collum matched her season high with 10 kills and a .476 clip, not committing an error on 21 attempts.
Daedrianna Cail also played error free on the attack, tallying eight kills on 12 swings (.667) with three blocks. Grace Wiley did likewise with one block.
The Red Wolves scored the first three points of the match and never looked back, expanding their opening-set lead to as much as 19-9 on an ace by Sarah Martinez, who also had 11 digs. Back-to-back Collum kills put the deficit at 23-12, and then Haley Glunz gave A-State its first set point at 24-13 with a kill. After Austin Peay saved a pair of points, Reese Watters gave the Scarlet and Black the 1-0 lead with a kill.
In the second stanza, A-State surged to a 5-0 lead on three kills by Whitlock and two from Wiley. The Red Wolves pushed their lead out to 16-8 before a timeout by the Governors, who pulled back within four. A-State then held off a late push to take the set 25-19 and lead 2-0 in the match.
Cail tallied five of her eight kills in the first seven points of the third set, while teaming up on a pair of blocks for the other two points – giving A-State a quick 7-0 advantage. The Red Wolves took a 20-10 lead on a kill by Yazmyn Billings and continued to pressure the Austin Peay defense en route to clinching the sweep.
NEXT UP
A-State concludes non-conference play at the Alyssa Cavanaugh Classic on Saturday, taking on reigning Ohio Valley Conference tournament champion Eastern Illinois, with first serve against the Panthers set for 11 a.m.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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