WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (12/4/25) – Arkansas State volleyball (22-9, 12-4 SBC) battled to the fifth set against Baylor (18-9, 12-6 Big 12) in the NCAA Volleyball Tournament First Round, but fell short in a 3-2 (25-23, 20-25, 28-30, 25-23, 10-15) decision on Thursday afternoon inside Holloway Gymnasium.
 
Kaitlin Whitlock led the team with 22 kills on a .254 hitting percentage and tallied 13 digs for her eighth and final double-double of the 2025 campaign. Addison Collum (17) and Devyn Lewis (15) also reached double digits in kills, with the latter doing so on a .400 clip.
 
Mia Maloney recorded a team-high 24 kills and Erin Madigan posted a team-leading 42 assists. As a team, A-State recorded 71 kills on a .296 hitting percentage alongside 75 digs and seven blocks.
 
The Red Wolves surged early in the first set, using a 6-1 run highlighted by two kills from Haley Glunz and five total to establish an 11-5 lead. The opposition claimed nine of the next 13 rallies to close the gap before both sides exchanged the next seven.
 
The Bears eventually took three consecutive rallies before a service error tied the match at 20-20, but a kill plus a service ace broke the stalemate in favor of the opposition. A-State split the next two rallies before Whitlock landed three consecutive kills to regain the advantage.
 
Addison Collum followed with an ace and secured the first set for the Scarlet and Black.
 
A-State surrendered back-to-back kills and fell behind 11-9 before evenly splitting the next 10 rallies. The deficit grew to 21-17 before Whitlock responded with a kill, but the Bears matched it before a service error closed the gap to three.
 
The Red Wolves were unable to capitalize as the match would be evened at one set apiece.
 
A-State claimed back-to-back rallies for the first time since the sixth rally of the second set to create an 11-11 tie, and both sides split the next two points before a 4-0 run for the Bears opened a gap. A kill for Lewis followed by an attack error made the score 17-15 before both sides alternated the next eight rallies.
 
Block assists for Glunz and Erin Madigan closed the gap to one, but three service errors in the next three rallies pushed the deficit back to two. The Scarlet and Black mounted a rally behind kills from Lewis and Collum plus an attack error from Baylor, but a response from the Bears sent the set into extra points.
 
A-State held a 28-27 advantage entering set point, but two kills and a solo block for the opposition reversed momentum and resulted in a 2-1 match deficit.
 
A 3-0 run for the Bears created an 8-4 deficit before both sides alternated rallies once again. Collum and Whitlock landed kills while back-to-back attack errors allowed A-State to tie the set at 11-11.
 
Payton Van Veen landed a kill to push the Red Wolves ahead three rallies later and took four of the next six to open a 17-14 lead. A 3-0 run powered by a service ace from Madigan and a kill from Cail extended the lead to five, but Baylor responded with a 5-1 run to make the score 21-20.
 
Kills from Glunz and Whitlock provided a three-point gap, but the opposition registered a 3-0 run to force a tie. However, Collum countered with a kill before an attack error sent the match into a fifth set.
 
Both sides evenly split the first 10 rallies before Baylor posted back-to-back kills. The Red Wolves trailed closely, but another pair of kills created a 10-7 deficit before Collum responded with one of her own.
 
The Bears countered with a kill plus an ace to make the score 12-8 and added to the deficit with a block. A-State made one final stand with a kill from Cail, but it would not be enough as the 2025 campaign reached its conclusion.

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