ATLANTA, Ga. (8/29/25) – Arkansas State volleyball (0-1, 0-0 SBC) opened the 2025 season with a hard-fought match against Ole Miss (1-0, 0-0 SEC), falling 3-2 (23-25, 25-18, 25-12, 20-25, 10-15) in their first match at the Georgia Tech Classic on Friday afternoon inside O'Keefe Gymnasium.
 
Kaitlin Whitlock recorded a team-leading 18 kills plus a career high of four service aces on a .562 hitting percentage, securing her 40th career match with double-digit kills. Devyn Lewis also recorded 18 kills on a .333 percent clip, while Erin Madigan tallied 30 assists.
 
As a team, A-State hit .363 from the floor with 57 kills while holding the opposition to a .250 percentage and posting 10 blocks.
 
The Red Wolves were unable to claim a lead in the first set, but maintained close standing with the Rebels before falling behind 21-16. Three consecutive service aces from Whitlock sparked a rally that resulted in a 23-23 score, but a kill and attack error allowed Ole Miss to claim a 1-0 advantage.
 
The Scarlet and Black held an 8-5 lead early in the second set before claiming 10 of the next 13 rallies to open a significant margin. The lead did not fall below five beyond that point as the contest was evened at one set apiece.
 
Momentum remained with A-State in the third set, jumping out to a 12-2 lead following a kill from Devyn Lewis on an assist from Madigan. The Red Wolves hit .310 with 12 kills and six blocks, limiting Ole Miss to a -.114 clip en route to a 25-12 decision.
 
Another fast start highlighted by two kills from Lewis resulted in a 7-2 lead, but the Rebels won 10 of the next 15 rallies to tie the set at 12-12. Another pair of kills from Lewis opened a 16-13 advantage, but another surge pushed the Rebels to a 23-19 lead, eventually forcing a fifth set.
 
A-State fell behind early and could not recover in the final set, falling 15-10 to conclude the match.
 
NEXT UP
A-State returns to action on Saturday, Aug. 30, to take on Wofford in the second day of the Georgia Tech Classic. First serve from O'Keefe Gymnasium is slated for 2 p.m. CT.

SOCIAL MEDIA
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