MONTICELLO, Ark. — The University of Arkansas at Monticello volleyball team hosted Southern Arkansas University on Thursday evening for Senior Night inside Steelman Fieldhouse. The Boll Weevils battled through a thrilling five-set match, claiming the second and third sets before ultimately falling to the Muleriders, 3-2 (17-25, 25-23, 26-24, 12-25, 13-15), to close out their 2026 season.
FIRST SET (25-17 SAU, SAU leads 1-0)
Arkansas-Monticello opened the first set strong, jumping out to an early 3-0 lead over Southern Arkansas. The Muleriders responded with a six-point run to take an 8-3 advantage. The Boll Weevils battled back, using kills from Jalen Scroggins and Sophia Grubbs to tie the set at 12-12. Southern Arkansas regained control with a three-point run and maintained its lead throughout the remainder of the set. Despite kills from Isabella Garcia and Grubbs late in the frame, the Muleriders claimed the opening set, 25-17.
SECOND SET (25-23 UAM, UAM ties 1-1)
Arkansas-Monticello came out strong in the second set, jumping to an early 4-0 lead behind two kills from Sophia Grubbs. The Boll Weevils maintained their advantage until Southern Arkansas battled back to tie the set at 9-9 before taking a 13-10 lead. UAM responded with a three-point run to even the score at 13-13. The two teams continued to trade points before kills from Isabella Garcia gave the Weevils an 18-17 advantage. With the score tied at 20-20, UAM used a late push, highlighted by kills from Grubbs and a block from Jalen Scroggins, to secure the second set, 25-23, evening the match at 1-1.
THIRD SET (26-24 UAM, UAM leads 2-1)
Arkansas-Monticello carried its momentum into the third set, jumping out to an early 4-0 lead behind kills from Jalen Scroggins and Isabella Garcia. The Boll Weevils continued to control the set, extending their advantage to 14-8 with a kill from Sophia Grubbs. UAM maintained its lead with strong offensive contributions from Garcia and Summer Stephens, pushing the score to 19-11. Southern Arkansas fought back late, tying the set at 24-24 after trailing 23-20. However, Garcia delivered back-to-back kills to secure the third set, 26-24, giving the Boll Weevils a 2-1 lead in the match.
FOURTH SET (25-12 SAU, SAU ties 2-2)
Southern Arkansas came out strong in the fourth set, taking an early 6-3 lead before extending its advantage to 13-6. Arkansas-Monticello looked to respond with kills from Isabella Garcia and Summer Stephens, but the Muleriders continued to build their lead, pushing the score to 19-9. Jalen Scroggins added a kill for the Boll Weevils, while Garcia contributed another late in the set. Despite UAM’s efforts to close the gap, Southern Arkansas maintained control and secured the fourth set, 25-12, forcing a decisive fifth set with the match tied at 2-2.
FIFTH SET (15-13 SAU, SAU wins 3-2)
Arkansas-Monticello opened the decisive fifth set with back-to-back kills from Isabella Garcia to take an early 2-0 lead. Southern Arkansas responded to tie the score at 2-2 before the Boll Weevils regained a 4-2 advantage behind another Garcia kill and a service ace from Ella Cline. The two teams continued to battle, trading points until UAM took a 9-7 lead following a kill from Sophia Grubbs and an attack error by the Muleriders. Southern Arkansas fought back to tie the set at 9-9, but UAM continued to answer with kills from Grubbs and Garcia. With the score tied at 12-12, the Muleriders scored three of the final four points to claim the fifth set, 15-13, and secure the 3-2 match victory.
UAM STAT LEADERS
Kills: Isabella Garcia (25)
Assists: Ella Cline (39)
Digs: Isabella Garcia (21)
Blocks: Jalen Scroggins (5)
Aces: Sophia Grubbs (1), Chambers, Kyonias (1), Ella Cline (1)
UP NEXT
The Weevils conclude their 2026 season and will return to the court in the Fall of 2027.
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Article published with permission of UAM Athletics.
