No. 2 Central Arkansas Deals Straight-Set Win Against No. 3 Sam Houston State
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NATCHITOCHES, La. – No. 2 Central Arkansas punched their ticket to the championship match of the 2018 Southland Conference Tournament with a 3-0 (25-20, 25-21, 25-12) sweep over No. 3 seed Sam Houston State Saturday afternoon at Prather Coliseum in Natchitoches, La.
Samantha Anderson registered a match-high 15 kills for a .419 attack percentage in the Sugar Bears three-set victory over SHSU. Haley Tippett joined Anderson in the scoring barrage adding in 10 kills of her own along with 13 digs for her 14
th double-double performance of the season. Emily Doss poured in 21 digs for the UCA defense, while her teammates combined for eight blocks, two of which were unassisted.
Sam Houston State’s attack was led by Taylor Cunningham who registered 10 kills to go along with seven digs and an ace. The Bearkat offense ran through Jaclyn Ward who dished out 26 of the team’s 28 assists. Madison Wallace and Ashley Lewis provided two aces each for SHSU.
With the win, the Sugar Bears will now take on No. 1 seed Stephen F. Austin Sunday at 3:05 for the tournament title and an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships. The championship match can be followed on ESPN+, available via ESPNPlus.com and the ESPN app.
Set One
Doss led the Sugar Bear’s defensive efforts with nine digs that were key in limiting the Bearkats to a .077 hitting percentage. Tippett and Bailey Waddington collaborated for seven of Central Arkansas’ 13 kills in the opening set, while Elizabeth Armstrong delivered eight assists for the Sugar Bears. Each team collected two aces and a block, but it was a pair of kills from UCA’s Samantha Anderson and Kellen Dunn that helped secure a 25-20 victory for the Sugar Bears.
Set Two
With the set locked at 19-19, Central Arkansas created a late surge comprised of a 6-2 scoring run that resulted a 25-21 victory. UCA’s .343 attack percentage was bolstered by Anderson’s five kills on nine attempts, while Armstrong handed out nine assists. The Sugar Bears committed just three errors in addition to four blocks, which stalled the Bearkats. Cunningham registered five kills of her own but was unable to make up the difference for the Sam Houston State.
Set Three
Anderson was on fire for UCA compiling seven of the teams 14 kills en route to a 25-12 victory over the SHSU. After four lead changes at the beginning of the set, Central Arkansas began separating themselves following a kill from Armstrong and an ace from Doss that placed the Sugar Bears ahead 12-9. UCA allowed just three more points throughout the remainder of the set while Savannah Allen sealed the match with her fifth kill of the afternoon.