HOUSTON – The University of the Incarnate Word volleyball team defeated the University of New Orleans, 3-2, on Thursday afternoon to advance to the second round of the Southland Conference Tournament for the first time in program history.
 
This was a nail-biter of a match with 21 tied scores and nine lead changes. 
 
Annamarie Alvarez was named Southland Conference Player of the Match after leading the Cardinal offense with 17 kills. Bethany Clapp and Risa Sena followed, both registering 14 kills. Clapp also recorded a double-double after tallying 13 digs on the defensive end for the Cardinals. Natalie Martin set up UIW offense with 36 assists, while Natalie Kimmel followed with 13 assists. Macy Sumrall had a strong night, leading the defense with 22 digs. 
 
"This was a must win that I'm proud of us for pulling out," said Alvarez. "We never gave up and stayed calm the whole time, trusting ourselves and each other. Every match in the tournament is a battle and I'm excited to have another opportunity tomorrow." 
 
The Cardinals fell in the first set, 26-24, but they bounced back and won the second set, 25-21, to tie the match (1-1). In the second frame, UIW capitalized on Privateer hitting errors to take a 4-1 early advantage. Sena and Alvarez then had back-to-back kills to extend the lead to 6-1, forcing UNO to call a timeout. Jacqueline Arrington joined in on UIW's explosive offense with a hard hit from the middle that stopped UNO in its tracks before the Cardinals took advantage of another round of UNO errors to extend their lead to 22-17. Sena and Clapp then secured the set with back-to-back kills that UNO's defense could not prevent. 
 
UNO went ahead again (2-1) with a 26-24 win in the third set, but UIW refused to go down without a fight, forcing a fifth set by rallying for a 25-23 victory in set four. Sumrall stunned UNO's offense with back-to-back service aces to give the Cardinals an 11-10 advantage mid-way through the fourth frame. UNO jumped ahead in the set, but Jackson used a hard hit down the right sideline to give the lead back to UIW. Kimmel added another service ace to her stat line, which Jackson followed with another right-side kill, to extend the Cardinal lead. UIW stepped up at the net as Jackson, Arrington and Clapp blocked the UNO hitters to send the contest to set five. 
 
In the final set of the match, UIW and UNO remained neck-and-neck at the start. Arrington had a big block that tied the set and gave the momentum back to the Cardinals. Landon attacked the middle of the court again to add another kill, putting UIW up one. The Cardinals added a late scoring run to secure the set, 15-12, clinching a spot in the next round of the tournament with a 3-2 match victory.
 
"Today's match was intense," said head coach Samantha Dabbs Thomas. "UNO played hard, and they never let up on a ball. I'm proud of our team for staying in the fight. The tournament is a fun time because everyone comes out playing hard and fighting to advance. Our serve and passing game were strong throughout all five sets, which really helped our offense at the end." 
 
UP NEXT 
The Cardinals face Southeastern Louisiana in the second round of the Southland Conference Tournament. The match is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Friday. Fans can watch the match on ESPN+. 
 
FOLLOW ALONG
For the most up-to-date information on UIW Athletics, visit uiwcardinals.com, follow the Cardinals on Twitter @UIWAthletics and like UIW Athletics on Facebook. 
Follow the team on Twitter @UIWVolleyball and on Instagram @uiw_volleyball.