Lamar drops four-set match at UNO

Published 4:47 pm Saturday, October 28, 2017

Lamar sports information

NEW ORLEANS – Tomar Thomas had a match-high 24 kills, but the Lamar Cardinals saw their postseason hopes take a huge hit as they fell to the host New Orleans Privateers in a Southland Conference women’s volleyball match Saturday.

Thomas, who had a career-high 25 kills in Thursday’s thrilling five-set win at Southeastern Louisiana, had a .375 hitting percentage against UNO, with just six attack errors on 48 attempts. Dannisha House had 11 kills for LU (4-18 overall, 2-10 Southland), while Bre’Ala Box totaled nine kills with no errors on 16 attempts for a dazzling .563 hitting percentage.

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Still, the efforts weren’t enough for the Cardinals, who fell 3.5 games behind eighth-place Abilene Christian for the final berth in next month’s tournament with four matches remaining.

New Orleans (10-14, 4-8) claimed a 25-23 win in an opening set that features 15 ties and five lead changes. LU stormed back for a 25-18 win in the second set as the teams went to their locker rooms tied at one set apiece.

The third set was tied at 10 before the Privateers took control with an 8-2 run. LU battled back to cut the deficit to 19-18 before the Privateers pulled away to win the set 25-22.

The Cardinals appeared poised to send the match to a fifth set after surging to a 14-6 lead in the fourth set, but four straight LU errors allowed UNO back into the match. The Cardinals led 18-17 before New Orleans put the match away with an 8-0 run, ending the contest on Kaitlyn Grice’s team-leading 12th kill of the day to end the set at 25-18.

Zahria Scott had 12 digs for the Cardinals, while Haley Morton had a match-high 57 assists.

The Cardinals close out the home portion of their schedule when they host Incarnate Word at 7 p.m. Tuesday on Senior Night at McDonald Gym.

About I.C. Murrell

I.C. Murrell was promoted to editor of The News, effective Oct. 14, 2019. He previously served as sports editor since August 2015 and has won or shared eight first-place awards from state newspaper associations and corporations. He was born in Memphis, Tennessee, grew up mostly in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and graduated from the University of Arkansas at Monticello.

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