JONESBORO, Ark. (8/26/23) – In a battle of unbeatens, the Arkansas State volleyball team held off North Alabama in the fifth set to claim an exciting 3-2 (21-25, 25-23, 25-22, 20-25, 15-13) victory Saturday evening inside First National Bank Arena.

The Red Wolves (3-0) claimed the A-State Invitational title with the win over the Lions (2-1) and moved to 3-0 to open the season for the first time since 2015. A-State corralled 92 digs as a team – the most since 93 at Little Rock (Oct. 5, 2021) and limited UNA to a .130 attack percentage in the final set.

Brianna Hollingshed led four players with double-digit kills, registering a career-high 15 to go against just four errors en route to a .379 attack percentage. Tournament MVP Bailey Helzer added a dozen kills and 13 digs for her second double-double of the year, while Kaitlin Whitlock notched 12 kills and 16 digs. All-Tournament selection Tegan Seyring hit .310 in the match with 12 kills.

Erin Madigan handed out 57 assists – the most by an A-State setter since 2017 – and collected a match-best 20 digs.

On the defensive end, Sarah Martinez added 18 digs, while Mia Maloney recorded 15 digs. At the net, Haley Glunz accounted for a team-high four blocks, with Hollingshed adding three.

The Lions started hot, scoring eight of the first 11 points before A-State pulled even at 18-all on a kill by Bailey Hall. Two points later, Madigan found Glunz for a kill to put the Scarlet and Black ahead 20-19. UNA ended the frame on a 6-1 run to take the opener 25-21.

A-State overcame an early deficit in the second set but surged to a 20-15 lead after a Whitlock kill. The visitors pulled within a point but could not overtake the Scarlet and Black, which evened the match with a 25-23 decision in the second.

The Red Wolves relied on a 10-2 spurt midway through the third, which included a pair of Madigan aces, to take a 2-1 lead in the match with a 25-22 third-set victory. North Alabama answered in the fourth set, erasing a four-point A-State advantage with eight unanswered, en route to sending the match to a deciding fifth set with a 25-20 fourth-set win.

In the fifth, A-State led 6-4 through the first 10 points following a block by Hollingshed and Seyring. Whitlock later fired an ace to cap a 6-2 Red Wolves run, forcing a timeout by the Lions. UNA saved four consecutive match points out of the break to pull within one at 14-13, but Hollingshed capped her career day with a kill to seal the win and the unbeaten weekend.

NEXT UP

Arkansas State continues non-conference play with three consecutive road tournaments beginning Friday and Saturday, Sept. 1-2, at the Molly Howard-Gerwig Memorial Tournament hosted by Houston Christian. There, the Red Wolves are set to face Prairie View A&M, the host Huskies and Penn.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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