BEAUMONT, Texas – Tomar Thomas pounded a match-high 18 kills, but the Lamar University Cardinals dropped three close sets to the visiting Central Arkansas Sugar Bears in a Southland Conference women's volleyball match at McDonald Gym on Saturday.
 
"Tomar was just tremendous today," LU coach Alan Edwards said of Thomas, who had just two attack errors in 37 attempts for a .432 attack percentage. "I can't say enough good things about her."
 
The Cardinals (2-10 overall, 0-2 Southland) held leads in all three sets, but couldn't hold on against the Sugar Bears (12-2, 1-1), who won by scores of 25-20, 25-22, 25-23 in a match that saw 22 tie scores and 11 lead changes.
 
"We did a real good job today," Edwards said. "We haven't played a match at that level in the four years I've been here. While it's no shame in saying that we lost to a better team today, I believe this match can be a turning point for us."
 
Haley Morton posted a double-double with 35 assists and 11 digs for LU, while Murielle Hlavac had 11 kills and six digs.
 
"Haley did a nice job distributing the ball," Edwards said. "Murielle is a freshman who keeps getting better."
 
After dropping the first two tightly contested sets, the Cardinals seemed poised to extend the match by holding leads of 15-11 and 21-19 in the third set, but the Sugar Bears went on a 6-2 run to end the match, sealing the win on a kill by Kellen Dunn.
 
"We talked about reducing errors, and we did that today," Edwards said. "But we didn't take advantage of some chances and we need to do a better job of creating opportunities. But I saw a lot of positives today that will definitely help us as we move forward."
 
The Cardinals had an attack percentage of .202, with 40 kills and 18 errors in 109 attempts. Central Arkansas posted a .273 attack percentage, with 44 kills and 14 errors on 110 attempts. Each team had 42 digs.
 
Haley Tippett led Central Arkansas with 15 kills and 12 digs. Megan Hash had nine kills, while Elizabeth Armstrong finished with 35 assists.
 
LU returns to action when it travels to Houston Baptist for a match at 7 p.m. Thursday. The next home match is slated for 1 p.m. Oct. 7 vs. Stephen F. Austin.
 
For ticket information, call 409-880-1715, or CLICK HERE. Tickets are available at the Montagne Center ticket office from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. Tickets may be purchased at McDonald Gym one hour prior to first serve. LU students receive free admission with their Cardinal One card, while Junior Cardinal Club members receive free admission when they present their membership badge.