Oct. 7, 2016
Final Stats
Postgame Quotes
By Michael Eldridge | @DFWSportsMike
ARLINGTON, Texas - A first-set setback didn't deter UT Arlington in a 3-1 win over Little Rock in Sun Belt play on Friday night at College Park Center.
The Mavericks (10-10, 4-1 SBC) would take the next three sets, two coming in commanding fashion, and returned UTA to .500. UTA has won seven of its last nine matches since a season-long four-match losing streak midway through September. The match avenged a Sun Belt Championship defeat in the last meeting in 2015 and edged an 11-10 lead in the all-time series.
It will be a battle of two of the Sun Belt West Division's top teams on Saturday night. Arkansas State (12-7, 4-1) enters CPC after falling for the first time in SBC play against Texas State on Friday.
UTA was nearly able to steal away the opening set after fighting back to take the match to 25 apiece. However, it was Little Rock that was able to win its only set by taking the next two points. From that point, it was all UTA.
A service ace by Cassidy Wheeler was able to get the Mavs out on a positive note and UTA raced out to an early 4-1 lead. UTA continued the outburst to take a commanding lead and took the second 25-11. Set 3 proved to play much closer with the teams exchanging runs. A three-point spurt by Little Rock tied the match at 20-20, but the Mavs scored five of the final eight points to take the third.
Little Rock was forced to call a timeout to try to slow down a UTA attack that held a 9-2 lead in the fourth. Ashlynn Ford knocked down an ace to make it 18-7 and Kaitlyn Granger pounded a kill to build a 12-point lead. The Trojans had a brief rally and shared points with the Mavs, but it was not enough as UTA took down the Trojans.
