OWENSBORO, Ky. – University of Arkansas – Fort Smith Volleyball capped a 4-0 weekend at the Kentucky Wesleyan Invitational Saturday with a pair of wins to extend its winning streak to six matches.
The Lions started the day with a convincing 3-0 win over Davis & Elkins before concluding the weekend with a four-set win over Illinois Springfield.
UAFS will play its final nonconference tournament next weekend at Auburn Montgomery.
UAFS 3, Davis & Elkins 0 (25-21, 25-13, 25-5)
The Lions rallied from an 18-13 deficit in set one and carried that momentum into dominant sets two and three against the Senators. UAFS hit a season-best .309 for the match and held the Senators to -.020.
UAFS used a 5-1 run to pull within 19-18 in the opening set and then a 4-0 run to take a 22-20 lead. In all, the Lions closed the set on a 10-2 burst to take the 1-0 lead.
A 6-0 run in set two gave the Lions a 15-4 lead as they hit .333 to cruise to a two-set lead. The Lions then hit .556 in the final set, scoring the final 12 points of the match. The Lions held the Senators to -.231 in the final set. The five points allowed in the final sets are the second fewest of the NCAA II era.
Lydia Pitts continued her double-double streak with 12 kills and 13 digs with a .455 attack percentage. Abby Jackson tallied a team-high 17 digs while Mayli Whetter had 22 assists.
UAFS 3, UIS 1 (25-14, 21-25, 25-13, 25-18)
The Lions continued their strong offensive attack in the weekend finale by hitting .291 in the win over the Prairie Stars.
Pitts once again led the charge with a double-double of 15 kills and 19 digs with a.326 attack percentage while Codi Jackson hit .333 with 11 kills. Emily Parker hit .421 and added nine kills. Whetter dished out 32 assists to go with 15 digs.
At the net, Parker and Aspen Olson combined for 13 blocks, with each having six assisted blocks. UAFS had a 13-3 advantage in blocks for the match. Abbey Jackson and Grace Marshall gave the Lions four with double figure digs with 13 and 10, respectively.
UAFS used a 7-1 run early in the first set to build a 14-6 lead and kept the throttle down in an 11-point win in set one, hitting .400 for the set.
After the Prairie Stars pulled even with a set two win, the Lions raced out to a 7-1 lead in set three and then used an 8-1 run for a 14-5 lead. The Lions hit .294 in the set and held UIS to .000.
In the final set, the Lions hit .289 and used a 6-0 run to break the set open from a 17-16 lead and pull away for the match win.
