UAFS Lady Lions sweep conference matches
by October 10, 2009 10:53 pm 75 views
Editor’s note: Story by Jonathan Gipson, sports information director for the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith.
The University of Arkansas at Fort Smith volleyball team’s Heartland Conference debut couldn’t have gone much better Saturday afternoon.
UAFS swept the University of Texas – Permian Basin and Newman University in a tri-match at Newman’s Fugate Gymnasium in Wichita, Kan. The Lady Lions (19-3) beat UT Permian Basin 25-14, 25-15, 25-13 and beat Newman 25-12, 25-16, 25-18.
UAFS is a provisional member of NCAA Division II this season, and the Lady Lions will only play each Heartland Conference opponent one time instead of the normal home-and-home series. The results of those matches do not factor into the overall conference standings.
Against UT Permian Basin, junior Fabiane Nass of Santa Catarina, Brazil, and sophomore Heidi Luks of Tallinn, Estonia, led the Lady Lions with 11 and 10 kills, respectively. Junior Lucia Najselova of Nitra, Slovakia, had 36 assists, and sophomore Keely Rivera of Baytown, Texas, had 21 digs.
Against Newman, Nass had nine kills to lead a balanced UAFS attack. Luks had eight kills and a team high three blocks and three block assists. Najselova had a team-high 30 assists, while Rivera had 16 digs.
UAFS will return to the Stubblefield Center on Monday and Tuesday for two of its final three home matches of the season. The Lady Lions will host Southeastern Oklahoma State at 7 p.m. on Monday in what will be “Dig Pink” Night. “Dig Pink” is a national promotion that brings awareness to breast cancer and breast cancer research. (Link here for more on “Dig Pink.”)
The Lady Lions will then host Southern Arkansas University at 7 p.m. on Tuesday. The team’s last home match will be at 7 p.m. on Oct. 20 against Oklahoma City University.