18 Sep 2024 Little Rock set for home opener against rival UCA tonight
After 10 matches away from Little Rock, the Trojans will finally get a chance to play in front of a home crowd tonight when they host in-state rival Central Arkansas at the Jack Stephens Center. The match is slated for a 6 p.m. start and can be streamed live on ESPN+ and live stats for the match will be available on LRTrojans.com. This year’s home opener is also Student Appreciation Night, with free pizza and Maroon Mob t-shirts provided for all students in attendance, while supplies last.
Little Rock – Last Time Out
The Trojans (5-5) dropped three matches at the Ole Miss Invitational last weekend in Oxford, Miss. Little Rock fell to Florida Gulf Coast, Drake, and host Ole Miss. Sophomore Bella Cherry was named to the All-Tournament team. The Trojans are looking to stop a five-game slide after matching the best start in program history (5-0).
Little Rock – By the Numbers
The Trojans currently lead the Ohio Valley Conference in two statistical categories – team assists (443), and team kills (470). They also rank second in five other categories and third in two more. Andrea Roman is second in the OVC and 25th nationally in digs (162) while Jeila Fullerton ranks 77th nationally in kills (122).
Team Leaders:
Kills – Jeila Fullerton (122), Bella Cherry (90), Kaila Harris (84)
Attack % – A’lanae Margaritha (.404), Jeila Fullerton (.199), Bella Cherry (.184)
Assists – Dariana Valencia (214), Kaylee Smith (171)
Service Aces – Andrea Roman (12), Dariana Valencia (10)
Digs – Andrea Roman (162), Jeila Fullerton (107), Dariana Valencia (85)
Blocks – A’lanae Margaritha (27), Jaycee Kennedy (19), Jeila Fullerton (17)
Points – Jeila Fullerton (138.5), Bella Cherry (99.5), Kaila Harris (96)
Central Arkansas – Quick Look
The Sugar Bears are 1-8 this season, having lost eight straight after opening the season with a win. Opponents are hitting .270 against UCA, while the Sugar Bears are hitting .181. Laci Bohannan and Mackenzie Vernon lead the team with 71 kills each, Caylan Koons has tallied 290 assists and Alexis McDaniel has a team-high 120 digs. Allison Holloway (21) and Greyson Button (20) are the leaders in blocks. UCA leads the all-time series, 8-6, but Little Rock is 3-1 at home against the Sugar Bears and swept UCA in straight sets last month.
Looking Ahead
Little Rock will head to Conway for matches on Friday and Saturday as part of the UCA Invitational, the final non-conference contests of the season. The Trojans will face Jackson State on Friday at 1 p.m., and North Alabama at 12:30 p.m. Saturday. Conference play begins at home Sept. 27-28 against UT Martin.
