Foley, AL – (Contributed) – Arkansas State volleyball (22-8, 12-4 SBC) clinched the seventh Sun Belt Volleyball Tournament Championship in program history on Sunday inside the Foley Sports Tourism Complex, defeating James Madison in a 3-1 (25-20, 18-25, 25-20, 25-21) decision.
Payton Van Veen and Addison Collum tied for a team high with 14 kills apiece on a .353 hitting percentage, and Kaitlin Whitlock joined the duo in double digits with 11 alongside a team-leading 15 digs for her seventh double-double of the campaign. Erin Madigan also secured her seventh double-double of the year with 26 assists and 14 digs.
As a team, the Red Wolves registered 58 kills on a .217 clip alongside five service aces and tallied 67 digs defensively. Collum and Van Veen were selected to the Sun Belt Volleyball All-Tournament Team alongside Sun Belt Volleyball Tournament Most Outstanding Player Daedrianna Cail.
A service and attack error paired with a kill from Van Veen opened a 10-7 lead in the opening set, but it would not last long as the Dukes countered with a 3-0 run. The opposition claimed five of the next nine rallies to gain the advantage before the Red Wolves stonewalled their momentum with an 8-0 run.
Collum landed the first kill while Van Veen added three more during the stretch as A-State moved ahead 22-15. James Madison responded by claiming four of the next five rallies, but Haley Glunz registered a kill before Van Veen secured the set two rallies later with her sixth.
The Red Wolves trailed 12-10 in the second set before two kills and a block assist from Glunz highlighted a 5-0 run that forced a lead change. The Dukes countered with two 5-0 runs of their own over the next 11 rallies and kills from Whitlock and Madigan would not be enough as the match evened at 1-1.
Both sides split the first 12 rallies of the third set before back-to-back kills from Van Veen and a service ace from Whitlock broke the stalemate. The Scarlet and Black maintained their advantage for the next 13 rallies, but an attack error during the 14th made the score 13-13.
Neither side gained a significant advantage until an attack error in the 33rd rally sparked a 6-2 run that was capped by Cail’s second service ace of the contest. James Madison cut the lead to 22-20 with back-to-back kills, but A-State shut the door on a comeback with kills from Collum, Glunz, and Van Veen.
A 5-2 lead for the Red Wolves in the fourth set quickly evaporated as a 4-0 run for the opposition made the score 7-6. Neither side gained an advantage greater than one point until three consecutive attack errors followed by a solo block from Van Veen put A-State ahead 18-15.
The Dukes made one last stand and tied the match at 19-19, but three consecutive kills from Collum nullified the effort. Collum added one more kill that was bookended by two from Whitlock, including the final one to secure the Red Wolves’ first tournament title since 2015.
NEXT UP
The NCAA Tournament Selection Show is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 30, at 5:00 p.m. (CT) on ESPN. The First and Second Rounds are scheduled for Dec. 4-6 and will be held at non-predetermined campus sites. Details for the selection show watch party will be announced at a later date.