25 Sep 2024 Conference play begins Friday as Little Rock hosts the Skyhawks
The Little Rock Volleyball team has already had its share of highs and lows in the 2024-25 season. However, the Trojans will look to start the conference slate on a high note this weekend, when they open OVC play with a pair of matches against UT Martin at the Jack Stephens Center. Friday’s match is slated for a 6 pm start and Saturday’s will begin at 2 pm. Both can be streamed live on ESPN+ and live stats for the matches will be available on LRTrojans.com.
Little Rock – Last Time Out
The Trojans (5-8) opened their home schedule last week but fell to Central Arkansas in straight sets. They then hit the road a short way to the UCA Invitational last weekend, falling to Jackson State in four sets on Saturday, then dropping a five-set marathon Sunday against North Alabama.
Little Rock – By the Numbers
The Trojans currently lead the Ohio Valley Conference in four statistical categories – team assists (568), team kills (605), total attacks (1,782) and team digs (796). They also rank second in three other categories and third in another. Andrea Roman is first in the OVC and 8th nationally in digs (226) while Jeila Fullerton ranks 48th nationally in kills (167).
Team Leaders:
Kills – Jeila Fullerton (167), Bella Cherry (109), Kaila Harris (08)
Attack % – A’lanae Margaritha (.359), Jeila Fullerton (.213), Sophia Garrido (.159)
Assists – Dariana Valencia (263), Kaylee Smith (226)
Service Aces – A’lanae Margaritha (15), Andrea Roman (12), Dariana Valencia (11)
Digs – Andrea Roman (226), Jeila Fullerton (153), Dariana Valencia (107)
Blocks – A’lanae Margaritha (40), Jaycee Kennedy (24), Jeila Fullerton (22), Bella Cherry (22)
Points – Jeila Fullerton (189.5), Bella Cherry (123.5), Kaila Harris (122)
UT Martin – Quick Look
The Skyhawks (2-7) have lost five straight and are 0-2 on the road heading into this weekend series. Katie Cruise leads the team in assists (267) and aces (13), Kylie Surratt is the team leader in kills (85), Dylan Mott has a team-high 159 digs and Addy Vaughn leads with 16 blocks. UT Martin is hitting .167 this season while allowing .244 attacking against. Little Rock owns a 9-3 advantage in the all-time series with UT Martin, including a sweep of the 2023 season series in Martin.
Looking Ahead
Little Rock will hit the road for a conference game at Southeast Missouri on Wednesday, Oct. 2, followed by a pair at Morehead State on Oct. 4-5. The Trojans return home Oct. 11-12 to host Southern Indiana.
