Ruston, LA – Contributed – Kaitlin Whitlock led the team with 17 kills as Arkansas State volleyball (16-8, 12-1 SBC) powered past Louisiana Tech (9-19, 1-12 SBC) in a 3-1 decision (25-15, 15-25, 25-20, 25-22) on Friday night at the Thomas Assembly Center.
Devyn Lewis (13) and Addison Collum (12) also recorded 10-plus kills in the contest while Whitlock led the team with a .300 attack percentage. Erin Madigan led the team with 32 assists and Libby Gee-Weiler posted a team-best 16 digs while Haley Glunz and Calea Bush recorded two blocks apiece.
As a team, A-State totaled 50 kills on a .185 clip and landed nine service aces while recording 55 digs and five total blocks.
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Set 1
Mia Maloney led off with an ace and the Red Wolves jumped out to a 10-3 lead before forcing a timeout. A 4-0 run highlighted by two kills and a service ace from Whitlock extended the lead to double digits in the 26th rally, and it peaked at 12 when an attack error made the score 22-10. The opposition took five of the next six points, but a service error and attack error moved A-State ahead 1-0 in the match.
Set 2
A-State led 7-6 when a 6-0 run shifted momentum in the Bulldogs’ favor. Collum attempted to narrow the gap with two kills, but the deficit eventually reached double digits. Trailing 23-12, Adison Ozuna picked up two kills while an attack error in between narrowed the gap to nine points.
The effort would not be enough as Louisiana Tech tied the match via a 25-15 decision.
Set 3
Two attack errors bookended Whitlock’s second ace of the match and moved the Red Wolves ahead 11-6. The opposition battled back and used a 4-0 run to cut the lead to one point in the 29th rally, but back-to-back kills by Whitlock stalled the effort briefly. Collum broke a 17-17 tie with a kill and Whitlock followed with another pair as A-State reacquired the lead.
A bad set by the Bulldogs plus an ace for Collum capped a 5-0 run that fueled the Scarlet & Black to a crucial 25-20 victory in set three.
Set 4
The Red Wolves held another five-point advantage after the first 17 rallies and expanded the advantage to 16-9 following a kill by Lewis. The opposition refused to go away, using a 6-1 run to stay in the match. A-State looked to end all hope of a comeback when Whitlock’s 16th kill, paired with Glunz’s solo block, opened a 21-17 gap.
The Bulldogs mounted one final 3-0 run to make the score 23-22, but an attack error set up Whitlock for the final kill of the match and the victory.
A-State concludes the series against Louisiana Tech on Saturday, Nov. 7, at 1 p.m. inside the Thomas Assembly Center. The match will stream on ESPN+ and live stats will be available at AStateRedWolves.com/stats.
The Scarlet & Black return to Jonesboro for the home finale against James Madison on Nov. 13 and 14. Tickets can be purchased by clicking here.
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