RUSTON, La. – After being swept by Grambling State 3-0 (35-33, 25-18, 25-18) in its opening match of the day, Lamar University came back in the afternoon and grabbed the lead against Little Rock. Unfortunately, the Cardinals (0-7) were unable to hang on dropping a 3-2 (25-13, 24-26, 23-25, 27-25, 15-12) decision.
 
Led by 16 kills (and 12 digs) from Syndee Griffen, the Cardinals posted a 48-26-192 (.115) effort against the Trojans. Griffen was one of four Cardinals to record at least nine kills in the match, and she led the team with 24 kills on the day.
 
It was the first five-set match of the season for the Red and White who held UALR to a .177 attack percentage with 61 kills (and forced 28 errors). The Cardinals finished the match with 10 total blocks while holding UALR to just four.
 
The Cardinals finished the opening match with 27 kills but struggled with an .068 attack percentage. While Lamar had a better day at the net blocking and fewer service errors with two more aces than Grambling, it wasn't enough to overcome the fact that the Tigers recorded nearly twice as many kills on the day. 
 
Cardinals led late in the first set against Grambling, 24-21, but the Tigers rallied for four consecutive points before a service error put a stop to the rally. The Cardinals took advantage of the miscue on the next serve when Christina Dauster and Gracie Cassidy came up with a big block to reclaim a one-point advantage. The block set off a back-and-forth affair that saw Grambling eventually pull out the first set, 35-33. 
 
Grambling's opening-set rally knocked the wind out of the Cardinals' as the Tigers went on to post back-to-back 25-18 scores in the next two sets to take the match. 
 
After dropping the first set to Little Rock, 25-13, the Cardinals found themselves down 20-17 in the second before rattling off six consecutive points to claim a 23-20 lead before the Trojans could answer. Big Red managed to get to set point before the Trojans were able to tie things up but the Cardinals got a kill from Griffen followed a UALR attack error to tie the match at 1. 
 
The Cardinals appeared to be in control of the match as they snagged a 2-1 lead after holding off Little Rock in another close battle, 25-23 in the third. The fourth set appeared headed in the same direction with Lamar leading 24-22. Facing elimination, UALR rattled off three consecutive points to stay alive and eventually win the match. That was the turning point in the match as UALR held on for a three-point victory in the fifth and final set.
 
The Cardinals return to the court looking to notch their first win of the season when they face tournament host Louisiana Tech at 11 a.m.