Other Sports
Central Arkansas volleyball drops sweep to Hawaii in Honolulu
UCA volleyball fell to Hawaii in three sets Friday as hitting struggles and a late run sealed a road sweep.
Central Arkansas’s volleyball team couldn’t solve Hawaii’s attack on Friday night.
The Bears fell 3-0 in Honolulu and dropped to 0-7 on the season.
UCA lost the first two sets before Hawaii closed out a tight third set 28-26. Hawaii hit .248 for the match while Central Arkansas managed just a .079 clip.
Hawaii improved to 6-2 with the sweep. The Rainbow Wahine piled up 47 kills compared to UCA’s 29.
The first set got away from the Bears early. Hawaii ripped off a four-point run to grab a 20-11 lead. Setter Tatelyn Brandsma slowed things down with a kill set up by Ella Chaney and Kennady Martindale later scored UCA’s last point off a Brandsma set. Hawaii shut the door 25-14.
UCA fought harder in the second set. Middle blocker McKinzee Haas served four straight points that flipped an 8-5 deficit into a 9-8 Bears lead.
Hawaii pulled back in front but UCA answered again. Brandsma’s ace tied the score and Cameron McDaniel’s serving run pushed UCA ahead 18-15 with help from a block by Haas and Annie Hopkins. Hawaii then reeled off seven straight points to take set two 25-20.
Bears push Hawaii to the brink in third
The third set turned into the closest fight of the night. UCA forced Hawaii past the usual 25-point finish line and led 24-23 after a kill from Greyson Button.
Hawaii answered to go up 26-25 but Haas tied it right back at 26-26 with a kill of her own. Hawaii scored the final two points to escape with a 28-26 win and finish off the sweep.
Brandsma led UCA with 24 assists and three service aces to go with five digs. Sarah Carnathan paced the offense with seven kills and added five total blocks. Button chipped in five kills and four blocks while Chaney led the defense with seven digs.
UCA is still chasing its first win of the fall and Hawaii’s serving runs made Friday’s search a tough one.
UCA heads to Iowa City next
The Bears aren’t done traveling. UCA heads to Iowa City next weekend for the Kwik Star Klassic, a three-match trip that opens against West Florida on Friday at 3 p.m.
UCA will then take on Texas Tech Saturday at noon before wrapping the weekend against host Iowa on Sunday at 1 p.m.
