MonticelloLive

The University of Arkansas at Monticello volleyball team split two matches to start the second UAM Volleyball Classic of 2008 with a 3-0 win over Philander Smith followed by a nail-biting 2-3 loss to West Alabama.

In the win over Philander Smith, junior Mallory Storm (Collinsville, Ill.) turned in the second best hitting percentage in program history after racking up eight kills and only one error on nine total attacks. Her final match hitting percentage was .778, just eight thousandths of a point shy of the record of .786 by Nicole Ferguson in 2006.

The Blossoms held Philander Smith to only one kill throughout the three-game match. The Lady Panthers finished the night with a -.517 team hitting percentage, while UAM combined for a .436 percentage.

Final game scores of the Philander Smith match were 25-7, 25-4 and 25-5.

In the nightcap, the Blossoms fell short of securing their 13th win of the season when the Lady Tigers of West Alabama won the match by scores of 23-25, 25-21, 17-25, 25-14 and 15-11.

Junior Jalynn Thornton (Pleasant Grove, Utah) led all players with 16 kills, while senior Taura Rush (Joseph City, Ariz.) and junior Nicole Ferguson (Brentwood, Tenn.) rounded out the double-digit scorers with 12 and 10 kills, respectively.

The Blossoms (12-7) continue play in the UAM Volleyball Classic tomorrow (Saturday, September 27) with a 1 p.m. match against Cameron.