JONESBORO, Ark. (10/4/25) – Arkansas State volleyball (10-6, 2-2 SBC) rallied to force a fifth set against Southern Miss (11-4, 3-1 SBC), but could not complete the comeback in a 3-2 (25-20, 21-25, 18-25, 25-10, 11-15) defeat on Saturday afternoon inside First National Bank Arena.
 
Kaitlin Whitlock led the Red Wolves with 18 kills and 13 digs, tallying her fifth double-double of the season. Daedrianna Cail also reached double figures in kills, and tied with Payton Van Veen for a team-high four blocks.
 
As a team, the Scarlet and Black recorded 59 kills on a .220 hitting percentage alongside 85 digs and 10 blocks.
 
A-State jumped out to a 12-6 advantage to open the match before Southern Miss won the next two rallies, but two kills from Whitlock paired with an attack error opened a seven-point advantage. The Scarlet and Black claimed five of the next nine rallies before surrendering a 4-0 scoring run, but a kill from Haley Glunz stalled momentum for the opposition.
 
A-State claimed four of the final seven rallies, with Whitlock securing a 25-20 decision on a kill.
 
The Golden Eagles responded with a 10-5 scoring run to open the next set, but two attack errors plus a kill from Van Veen closed the gap. A 5-1 scoring run for the opposition expanded the deficit to six before it peaked at 19-12.
 
Addison Collum landed a kill that sparked a 9-5 run, but it would not be enough as the match was evened at 1-1.
 
Southern Miss carried momentum into the third set, opening with a 9-4 advantage. A 7-1 run highlighted by two kills apiece for Whitlock and Glunz pushed the Red Wolves ahead, but the lead changed hands multiple times before a 6-0 run created a 22-16 lead for the Golden Eagles.
 
A-State won two of the final five rallies, as Southern Miss moved ahead with a chance to clinch the match.
 
The Scarlet and Black stormed back in the fourth set, opening a 19-7 lead highlighted by 10 kills and four blocks. Southern Miss won three consecutive rallies before a 6-0 run capped by two solo blocks for Glunz and another for Van Veen sent the contest into the final set.
 
A-State held a 4-2 advantage early, but surrendered four consecutive rallies as momentum shifted to the Golden Eagles. The deficit closed to 9-8, but six of the final nine rallies fell in the opposition’s favor to end the match.
 
NEXT UP
A-State travels to ULM for two matches beginning on Saturday, Oct. 10, at 6:00 p.m. inside Fant-Ewing Coliseum. The match can be viewed on ESPN+ and live stats will be available on AStateRedWolves.com/stats.

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