CONWAY, Ark. – As it had done in its last two Thursday-night matches, the Northwestern State volleyball team enjoyed a fast start against Central Arkansas.
 
Unfortunately for NSU, the hot start did not last.
 
After rallying to capture the first set, Central Arkansas used that momentum to sweep Northwestern State, 25-21, 25-14, 25-22, on Thursday night at the Prince Center.
 
"You can really boil it down to one rotation that we let UCA have a run at the end of Set 1 that allowed them to steal that one back from us," first-year head coach Sean Kiracofe said. "That can be hard to follow up in the next set."
 
The teams played 43 points before either team opened more than  three-point advantage. That came when UCA ended a 5-0 run with a Heather Schnars kill to put the Sugar Bears (13-10, 9-2 Southland Conference) up 24-20.
 
NSU (6-20, 4-9) extended the set on a Schnars attack error before Schnars atoned with a set-clinching kill.
 
Buoyed by that momentum, UCA built an 18-8 lead in the second set, cruising to a 2-0 lead at intermission.
 
NSU started quickly after the break, taking a 10-5 third-set lead on a kill by Glynna Johnson that led to a Central Arkansas timeout.
 
UCA regained momentum after that stoppage, scoring six of the next seven points to even things at 11.
 
Kills by Lauren Agan and Caiti O'Connell set in motion a 4-0 NSU run, and Northwestern State still held a 20-18 lead after a Sugar Bears attack error.
 
UCA's defense sparked the match-clinching run as Megan Nash delivered two block solos and an assist as part of a 6-1 blitz at the end of the decisive third set.
 
"In the third, we were ahead very late in the set and let some opportunities slip away," Kiracofe said. "Against the second-place team in the conference in their gym, I'm very happy with how we played in the first and third sets."
 
Johnson paced Northwestern State's offense, delivering seven kills on 11 error-free attacks for a .636 hitting percentage. It marked the second-highest hitting percentage of the season for Johnson, who tallied a .778 mark against Washington State on Sept. 18.
 
Schnars led three Sugar Bears in double-figure kills with 13. Nash added 12 and Scout Brooks 10 for UCA.
 
Northwestern State begins its longest stretch of the season without a match. NSU returns to action in nine days when it travels to Stephen F. Austin to complete a four-week, six-match road trip Nov. 7 at 2 p.m.