FOLEY, Ala. (11/22/25) – Arkansas State volleyball (21-8, 12-4 SBC) was challenged in a five-set duel versus Texas State (17-12, 11-5 SBC), but ultimately prevailed in a 3-2 (15-25, 25-23, 25-23, 22-25, 15-10) victory and advanced to the Sun Belt Volleyball Tournament Championship on Saturday afternoon inside the Foley Sports Tourism Complex.
 
Daedrianna Cail recorded three blocks alongside 12 block assists for a career high of 15 total blocks, the second most in a game by a Sun Belt player this season. On the offensive side, she landed eight kills on a .368 hitting percentage.
 
Devyn Lewis led the team with 13 kills while Addison Collum followed with 12. Erin Madigan tallied 28 assists and 10 digs for her sixth double-double of the campaign, tying Kaitlin Whitlock for the most on the team.
 
The Red Wolves posted 54 kills on a .161 hitting percentage and registered 70 digs alongside 18 blocks.
 
The Scarlet and Black surrendered seven of the first nine rallies of the contest before responding with a 3-0 run sparked by a kill from Collum. The Bobcats slowly regained momentum beyond that point and eventually built a 19-10 advantage.
 
A-State registered a 5-2 run highlighted by two kills from Lewis, but the effort would fall short as Texas State used a 4-0 run to end the set.
 
Collum opened the second set with a kill while a service ace and two blocks followed, establishing a 4-0 advantage. The opposition eventually tied the set at 10-10, but a kill from Collum paired with a solo block for Cail broke the stalemate.
 
Both sides alternated the next five sets before Payton Van Veen landed a kill that would be followed by a bad set and attack error for Texas State. Later in the set, Collum and Cail recorded block assists while the latter followed with a solo block to make the score 21-16.
 
The opposition attempted to rally and closed the gap to two points, but both sides alternated the next six rallies and Whitlock capped the exchange with a kill to secure the 25-23 decision.
 
Neither side held an advantage larger than two points in the third set until a 3-0 run for the Bobcats broke a 15-15 tie. The next four rallies were evenly split before A-State notched back-to-back attack errors and a block to tie the match at 20-20.
 
The lead switched sides three times beyond that point, but Cail took control in the final three rallies to erase a 23-22 deficit. The middle blocker recorded back-to-back kills before securing the go-ahead set with a block assist alongside Whitlock.
 
The closely contested battle continued into the fourth set, as two attack errors plus a service ace for Whitlock erased a 10-8 deficit. The Bobcats secured a 12-11 advantage before A-State countered with two kills and a block to move ahead 14-13.
 
With the score at 15-14, a 3-0 run for the opposition created a two-point deficit, but kills from Van Veen and Glunz tied the set. Van Veen matched a kill for the Bobcats two rallies later, but the Red Wolves fell behind after dropping the next two.
 
A-State would not be able to rally and secure the match in the fourth set, as back-to-back kills for Texas State forced a fifth.
 
Both sides evenly exchanged the first 10 rallies before kills from Collum and Haley Glunz paired with two attack errors opened a 9-5 advantage. Glunz added a solo block before the Bobcats won four of the next five rallies to make the score 11-9.
 
Glunz stonewalled the comeback bid with a kill while back-to-back block assists for Cail and Collum set up match point. The opposition landed a kill in the next rally, but an attack error followed and sent the Scarlet and Black to the championship round.
 
NEXT UP
A-State advances to the Sun Belt Volleyball Tournament Championship and will face the winner of Match 8 between James Madison and South Alabama at 4:00 p.m. inside the Foley Sports Tourism Complex in Foley, Alabama. The match can be viewed on ESPN+ and live stats will be available on AStateRedWolves.com/stats.
 
The 2025 Sun Belt Volleyball Tournament bracket can be found by clicking here.

SOCIAL MEDIA
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