ARKADELPHIA, AR - Arkansas-Pine Bluff split a pair of matches on the opening day of the Reddie-Tiger Challenge in Arkadelphia, and the highlight was a four-set win over Erskine at Duke Wells Center, with the Lady Lions taking the match 3-1 (25-19, 16-25, 25-19, 25-15).
UAPB came out sharp in the opening set, riding a balanced attack to a 25-19 win to grab an early edge. Erskine answered in the second, controlling the set from start to finish and cruising to a 25-16 win to even the match. The third set turned into the tightest of the night, with nine ties and five lead changes before UAPB pulled away late to close it out 25-19 and retake control of the match. The Lady Lions carried that momentum into the fourth, jumping out front and never letting Erskine get close in a 25-15 finish to seal the win.
Ashanti Butler led the way for UAPB, hammering 13 kills on just three errors for a .500 hitting percentage and finishing with a team-high 13.0 points. Kennedy Adams was nearly as efficient, hitting .412 with nine kills, while Haley Reeves added 10 kills and chipped in defensively with 10 digs. Ngozi Nwosu contributed eight kills to go with a pair of blocks, and Marlina Anderson rounded out the attack with six kills.
Martyna Lubowicz ran the UAPB offense for much of the match and finished with a team-high 21 assists, with London King also seeing time at setter and adding 16 assists of her own. Kinsley Hooper paced the back row with 11 digs, while Jnireah Henry and King each added 10 digs to help UAPB control the rally exchanges throughout the night. The Lady Lions also won the serving battle, finishing with 10 aces compared to Erskine's five.
UAPB improved to 2-3 on the season with the win, with the Reddie-Tiger Challenge continuing into day two.
