Jonesboro, AR – Contributed – Mia Maloney and Kaitlin Whitlock recorded standout performances and powered Arkansas State volleyball (8-8, 4-1 SBC) to a 3-0 (25-19, 29-27, 25-21) victory over South Alabama (7-10, 2-3 SBC) on Friday night inside First National Bank Arena.
Whitlock led the team with 14 kills on a .263 attack percentage and tallied 19 digs plus a solo block. Maloney recorded a team-best 22 digs and fell two shy of tying the three-set match high by a Sun Belt player this season, while Haley Glunz totaled four blocks. As a team, the Red Wolves finished with 50 kills on a .230 clip alongside four service aces, 63 digs and seven total blocks.
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Set 1
Neither side gained an advantage of three points or more until Whitlock landed two kills to create an 18-15 advantage. The opposition responded with a kill of their own, but A-State countered with a 4-0 run highlighted by Whitlock’s ace and Bush’s kill. The Red Wolves and Jaguars exchanged the next five rallies, allowing Adison Ozuna to secure the first set.
Set 2
A service error and a kill pushed the Scarlet & Black ahead 13-11 and the advantage would be maintained through the technical timeout. South Alabama took six of the following nine rallies to force a lead change, but A-State kept the deficit within one point until Glunz posted a kill and service ace in back-to-back rallies. With the lead at 21-20, the Jaguars added four of the next five points to move back in front.
Whitlock kept the Red Wolves’ hopes alive with a kill while an attack error by the opposition forced extra points. The Jaguars tied the score at 27-27, but A-State took advantage of an error on the ensuing rally as Glunz found the gap and secured the set-clinching kill.
Set 3
A-State established control of the set with a 7-0 run that made the score 18-12. Bush and Whitlock stonewalled the Jaguars’ last comeback effort at 21-19, as the former notched her 13th kill of the match while the latter posted a solo block. An attack error set up match point, and after two tries, the Red Wolves completed the sweep.
The Scarlet & Black face South Alabama in the series finale on Oct. 10 at 1 p.m. The match will stream on ESPN+, and live stats will be available at AStateRedWolves.com/stats. Tickets can be purchased by clicking here.
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