MARYVILLE, Mo. – University of Arkansas – Fort Smith Volleyball dropped its first five-set match of the season Saturday as the Lions came up short, 25-22, 19-25, 16-25, 25-21, 9-15 at Northwest Missouri State.
UAFS had five players record double figure digs, led by Lydia Pitts with 20. Mayli Whetter recorded 16 while Ella Shelby had 15. Abbey Jackson and Breanna Smith had 13 and 11 digs, respectively.
Pitts posted a double-double with a team-high 12 kills with Aspen Olson totaling eight kills. Both Grace Marshall and Codi Jackson had six kills each. Whetter joined Pitts with a double-double with 23 assists. Sarah LaForge had 11 assists for the Lions.
The Lions totaled 12 blocks in the defeat, receiving six from Olson and five from Emily Parker.
UAFS used a 5-0 run to take a lead in the middle of set one, but a 3-0 run put the Bearcats back in front. Trailing 22-21, the Lions scored the final four points of the set to take the first set.
Northwest hit .366 in set two to even the match, then used 8-0 and 5-0 runs to take set three.
The Lions battled back, racing out to a 10-3 lead in set four. The Bearcats rallied with a 6-0 run to take a 14-13 lead before the Lions broke an 18-18 tie with a 5-0 run and then closed the set with a pair of kills from Smith.
In the fifth set, the Bearcats took a 4-1 lead before the Lions tied the set at 5-5. However, a pair of 4-0 runs by the Bearcats put the set out of reach for the Lions.
UAFS closes the season with a pair of home matches, starting with Central Oklahoma at 6 p.m. Friday at the Stubblefield Center.
