Fayetteville, Ark. – The Louisiana Tech volleyball team dropped its 2021 season opener to Little Rock on Friday afternoon, at the Arkansas Classic in Fayetteville, Ark., by a score of 3-0.
 
Little Rock moves to 1-0 on the season with the win, while the Lady Techsters drop to 0-1. Scores of the match in favor of the Trojans were 25-13, 25-21, 25-18.
 
The Lady Techsters jumped out to an early lead in the first set, before Little Rock shook off the preseason rust and sparked an 8-2 run. A double-block by senior Jordyn Carswell and sophomore Morgan Smith cut the Trojans lead down to three at 9-6, but Little Rock bounced back racing out to a 17-10 lead and a 25-13 set win.
 
Behind early in set two, a kill by Smith sparked a 4-1 run for LA Tech, cutting the deficit to one at 11-10. Little Rock answered with a 6-1 run, extending their lead to 17-11. LA Tech closed within 24-21 on a kill by junior Imana Ellis and a block by Ellis and sophomore Carly Doros before the Trojans finished the set off.
 
The third set was knotted at 3-all before Little Rock served up a 4-0 run taking the lead for good. LA Tech would get within two at 13-11 on an Ellis kill but another run by the Trojans put things out of reach.

 
NOTABLES

• LA Tech recorded 10 total team block and 52 digs.
• Lady Techsters finished the night with 25 kills.
• Smith led the Lady Techsters with five kills, hitting a team-best .333.
• Ellis collected a team-high six blocks.
• Freshman McKenzie Johnson got her first start in a LA Tech uniform, becoming the second freshman to start the season opener under head coach McCray.

QUOTABLES
Head Coach Amber McCray
"Today was not the outcome we wanted, but there were some positives to take from this especially defensively where we finished with 10 total team blocks and 52 digs. Little Rock dominated us in the serving and passing battle, making their offense hard to stop and our offense struggle to get kills. We will build on the positives, regroup on the areas we need to improve and come back tomorrow ready to compete."
 
UP NEXT
The Lady Techsters will return to the court on Saturday by taking on host school Arkansas at noon. LA Tech will close out their time at the Arkansas Classic at 5:00 p.m. facing off with Arkansas Pine-Bluff.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
For all the latest in LA Tech Volleyball, follow them on Twitter (@LATechVB), Instagram (@latechvb) and Facebook (LATechVolleyball).