MEMPHIS-Twice Saturday, the Christian Brothers University Lady Bucs rallied to force a decisive fifth set, but they came up short in losses to Arkansas-Monticello and Pittsburg State Saturday.
Arkansas-Monticello 3, CBU 2 (25-22, 24-26, 25-20, 22-25, 15-11)
WHAT HAPPENED:
Visiting Arkansas-Monticello (1-2) hit .329 for the match as they held on for a five-set win over the Lady Bucs (2-2).
HOW IT HAPPENED:
• The Lady Bucs appeared to take control in the first set, using a five-point run to open a 10-7 lead they would build to five points as late as 21-16, but the Cotton Blossoms scored nine of the last 10 points, including the final six, to rally for a 25-22 win.
• The roles were reversed in the second set. After an early 4-1 Lady Bucs lead, UAM used a four-point run and a five-point run to build a 17-13 edge. They extended it to six points at 21-15, and they served for set point ahead 24-20 before the Lady Bucs scored the final six to win 26-24.
• The Cotton Blossoms jumped to an early 6-2 lead they would never relinquish in the third set. They extended their lead to 19-13 before a five-point CBU run featuring three kills and a block by #Miaya Smith# brought them within 19-18, but the Cotton Blossoms scored five of the last six to win 25-20.
• UAM carried the momentum into the fourth set, building early leads of 4-0, 8-3 and 11-5 before the Lady Bucs flipped the set with an 11-point run featuring three kills each by Smith and #Emma Lenoir# to take a 20-14 lead en route to a 25-22 win to force a decisive fifth set.
• The Cotton Blossoms again started strong in the final set, taking early leads of 3-0 and 5-1. CBU battled back to tie the set at 7 on back-to-back Lenoir aces, but the Cotton Blossoms scored seven of the last 10 points to pull away for a 15-11 win.
KEY STATS:
• Lenoir scored a career-high 30 points, second-most in a match in school history, as she finished with 24 kills, 13 digs, four blocks and four aces.
• Miaya Smith hit .355 with 18 kills, four digs and two blocks.
• #Anna Graziosi# dished out 48 assists with 15 digs.
• #Mollie Wadsworth# rapped out 10 kills.
• #Gennah Schoen# hit .368 with nine kills and five blocks.
• #Joze Smith# notched 10 digs and a match-best five aces.
• #Blythe Clausen# amassed 12 digs with five assists.
NOTABLE:
• Lenoir's 30-point effort is second-most in school history, trailing Alexis Gillis, who had 32 points Sept. 25, 2015, against Alabama Huntsville. Her previous career-high was 27 points Sept. 22, 2017, against Lee.
Pittsburg State 3, CBU 2 (25-17, 19-25, 25-22, 21-25, 15-13)
WHAT HAPPENED:
The Gorillas (4-0) and the Lady Bucs alternated set victories before PSU rallied for a 15-13 win in the decisive fifth set to remain unbeaten.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
• The teams traded runs and leads early in the opening set, with CBU leading as late as 14-13 before the Gorillas opened a 19-14 lead with a six-point run en route to a 25-17 win.
• The second set saw the Lady Bucs hit .357, blowing open what had been a nip-and-tuck set as they scored the final six points to win 25-19 after the set had been tied at 19.
• The third set saw PSU rally from a 20-17 CBU lead, scoring eight of the last 10 points to claim a 25-22 win.
• The Lady Bucs built early fourth-set leads of 8-5, 12-7 and 14-8, eventually stretching their lead to 19-11 on a Wadsworth kill, and they held on to win 25-21 as a Miaya Smith kill clinched the set and forced a fifth set.
• The fifth set saw 10 ties and five lead changes as the teams were tied at every point from 4-4 to 13-13, but the Gorillas scored the final three points to take a 15-13 win to clinch the victory.
KEY STATS:
• Miaya Smith led the Lady BUcs with 20 kills and 21.5 points, hitting .450 with three blocks and three digs.
• Lenoir added 16 kills, 14 digs, two blocks and an ace.
• Schoen racked up 12 kills with three blocks.
• Clausen garnered 22 digs with two aces and two assists.
• #Alexa Henderson# dished out 53 assists with six digs, four aces and three blocks.
WHAT'S NEXT:
The Lady Bucs hit the road for their next eight matches, beginning Friday when they face Chadron State and Northwestern Oklahoma State in Pittsburg State's Gorilla Classic. CBU's next home match is set for Friday, Sept. 14, when they host Alabama Huntsville at 7 p.m.
