ARKANSAS STATE RED WOLVES  at the Sun Belt Conference Tournament
    November 19 - 21    Bowling Green, Ky.    Diddle Arena
LiveStats & Webstream Available at www.SunBeltSports.org
   

SERVING IT UP: The Arkansas State Red Wolves travel to Bowling Green, Ky. for the Sun Belt Conference Tournament Nov. 19-21 at Diddle Arena.  LiveStats will be available at www.SunBeltSports.org, and all games will be available for webstream on SBC Extra, and fans can purchase a tournament pass for only $9.95 to tune-in.  The championship match at 3:00 p.m. (CT) will also be broadcast by the Sun Belt Network.  The championship match will air November 22 at 5:00 p.m. (CT) on CSS and November 23 on CST at 6:00 p.m. (CT).

THE Bracket:  ASU enters the tournament as the No. 5 seed, taking on fourth-seeded New Orleans Thursday, Nov. 19 at 2:30 p.m.  The ASU-UNO winner will take on the winner between No. 1 FIU and No. 8 North Texas Friday at 5:00 p.m.
In other first round action, No. 3 Western Kentucky will face No. 6 Denver Thursday at 5:00 p.m. before No. 2 Middle Tennessee meets No. 7 UALR at 7:30 p.m.

ASU In The Tournament: The Red Wolves have four Sun Belt Conference Tournament championships to their credit, topping the field to win in 1999, 1995, 1994 and 1992.  However, the Red Wolves have struggled in the tournament as of late.  A-State has lost its first round match each of the last six seasons.  The last ASU victory in the tournament was a 3-0 win over North Texas in the 2000 tournament.

The New Orleans Series: 32-13 ASU holds a 32-13 advantage in the all-time series against New Orleans.  The two teams have not met in post-season action since the opening round of the 1999 SBC Tournament when Arkansas State topped the Privateers 3-1 and went on to win the tournament.  UNO took both matchups this season, winning 3-1 in New Orleans Sept. 24 and 3-2 in Jonesboro Oct. 17.
Fielder and Bowman Among Elite in SBC: Arkansas State senior libero Heather Bowman was named the Sun Belt Conference's Defensive Player of the Year, while sophomore middle blocker Cayla Fielder earned first team All-Sun Belt Conference honors, the league announced Wednesday at the SBC Tournament banquet in Bowling Green, Ky.
Bowman was named SBC Defensive Player of the Week five times this season, the most recent honor coming earlier this week after leading the Red Wolves to their first victory over Denver since 2006 and to SBC West Division Co-championship.  She currently leads the team with 676 digs and leads the conference with an average of 5.68 digs per set.  Her average ranks sixth in the nation.
The Fort Smith native's 676 digs rank second-best for a single season in ASU history.  The senior libero is also one of three Red Wolves leading the team with 32 service aces.
Fielder finished the regular season with a team-high .338 hitting percentage, 358 kills and 122 total blocks, including a team-high 33 unassisted.  She pounded out a career-high 22 kills in ASU's five-set win over Denver and has posted double-digits kills in 21 matches this season.
The local Jonesboro product ranks among the top-ten in the conference in three overall categories and four categories against SBC opponents.  Overall, Fielder measures up fifth with a .338 hitting percentage, third with a 1.09 blocks per set average and fifth with an average of 4.12 points per set.  Against SBC opponents, she ranks fifth with a .348 hitting percentage, fourth with a 0.33 aces per set average, ninth with 0.91 blocks per set and fifth in points per set, averaging 4.17.

Streak Broken: Arkansas State’s five-set win over Denver Saturday night was the first for the Red Wolves since the 2006 season.  The Pioneers had taken the last six matchups between the two teams.

Bowman Wins Fifth SBC Defensive Player of the Week Award: Arkansas State senior libero Heather Bowman closed out her final regular season at Arkansas State as the Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Week, according to a vote of the league's 13 head coaches.  Bowman has claimed the weekly award five times this  season.
Bowman, who currently ranks sixth in the nation with 5.68 digs per set, led the Red Wolves as they went 2-0 in their final two regular season matches and claimed the SBC West Division Co-championship.
Bowman finished her final weekend at home with 57 digs, averaging 6.33 digs per set.   She put in 29 digs and a service ace in ASU's 3-1 win over North Texas Friday night, and she added another 28 digs and an assist when ASU took down Denver in five sets Saturday night.
The Fort Smith native's 57 digs pushed her into second place on the ASU single-season digs chart with 676 on the year.  She currently leads the team in digs and is one of three Red Wolves topping the team with 32 service aces on the year.

five-Set Wins: The last time ASU won two five-set matches within one week was during the 2004 season, when Arkansas State topped New Orleans Saturday, Oct. 15 in five sets and UT-Martin the next Tuesday, Oct. 18 in five sets as well.  Prior to the Red Wolves’ five-set wins over UALR Oct. 27 and North Texas Nov. 1, ASU had never won two five-set conference matches within a week of each other.

Double Trouble: Three Red Wolves posted double-doubles in ASU’s five-set victory over UALR Tuesday, Oct. 27 at the ASU Convocation Center.
Freshman Brittany Hoag led the team with 19 kills and added 11 digs.  Freshman Taylor Coughlin posted 16 kills and 17 digs, while senior Mandy DeWalt notched 15 kills and 13 digs.

Climbing The Charts: Three Red Wolves are climbing charts in the ASU record book so far this season.  Junior setter Laura Bennett currently ranks sixth on the ASU career assists chart with 2,680 assists.  Bennett has 1,275 assists on the season so far, which ranks seventh on the single-season assists chart.  Senior Erin Neeley has moved into third on the ASU career digs chart with 1,503. Senior Heather Bowman’s 676 digs so far this season rank second-best for a single season in ASU history.

UTA HALTS ASU’S TEN-MATCH WIN STREAK: ASU’s ten-match win streak came to an end after the Red Wolves fell to tournament host UT-Arlington 3-2 Sept. 18 at the UT-Arlington Hilton Invitational.  A-State dropped to 10-4 on the season after suffering losses to UTA, Tulsa and Texas Christian at the tournament.

19-SET STREAK ENDS: The Red Wolves’ 19-set win streak came to an end against Mississippi State at the MSU Bulldog Invitational.  ASU took the first set against MSU 25-14, but the Lady Bulldogs bounced back to take set two 25-23.  The Red Wolves recovered to win the match, then defeated Eastern Michigan and Northwestern State Saturday to close out the tournament.

fielder, bowman sweep sun belt conference weekly awards:  Arkansas State sophomore middle blocker Cayla Fielder and senior libero Heather Bowman were named the Sun Belt Conference Volleyball Player and Defensive Player of the Week, respectively, as voted on by the league's 13 head coaches Sept. 15. The award marks the first for both student-athletes this season and the first time a school has swept the awards since Denver during the 2007 season.
"I think it's a great honor to receive any conference award," said ASU head coach Justin Ingram.  "I think it's a credit to how we've been playing as a team and how strong we've been this past week.  I think overall our effort was strong."
Fielder earned tournament Most Valuable Player honors for the second consecutive weekend at the Mississippi State Bulldog Invitational, leading the Red Wolves to an undefeated week and their ninth consecutive win.  Fielder pounded out a team high 43 kills on the weekend, averaging 3.91 kills per set.  She led the Red Wolves with 14 blocks over the three-match tournament.  In ASU's 3-0 win over UT-Martin Tuesday night, Fielder led the team with four blocks and added 11 kills, hitting .400 in the match.
On the season, Fielder has recorded a league-best 48 total blocks - 1.45 per set - along with 111 kills and a .366 hitting percentage. The local Jonesboro product has put ASU atop the Sun Belt in blocks and opponent hitting percentage, as the Red Wolves lead the league with 94 blocks -- a 2.69 per set average -- while limiting their competitors to just a .114 hitting percentage.
Bowman notched a career-high 31 digs in ASU's 3-1 win over Eastern Michigan Saturday in the Mississippi State Bulldog Invitational.  Bowman earned her second all-tournament honor of the 2009 season over the weekend with her 70 digs, four service aces and six assists.  She also led the Red Wolves with 20 digs Tuesday night in ASU's 3-0 win over UT-Martin.
Bowman also leads the league with 192 total digs and has helped ASU top the conference in the same statistical category. Behind Bowman's 5.82 digs per set, the Red Wolves have registered 572 digs so far this season, for their conference-best 16.34 per set average.
"Offensively, Cayla was tremendous at the Mississippi State tournament and Bowman was very strong defensively," added Ingram.  "I give a lot of credit to those two players.  They're playing great for us, and we have to keep it going this weekend at UT-Arlington."

ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS: Sophomore middle blocker Cayla Fielder pounded out 12 kills and added four blocks to lead the Red Wolves to a 3-0 victory over the Huskies of Houston Baptist in the championship game of the ASU Classic.  Fielder won tournament MVP honors after hitting a team-high .550 to notch 23 kills and six blocks over the three-game tournament. She earned her second MVP honor at the MSU Bulldog Invitational, pounding out a team-high 43 kills on the weekend, averaging 3.91 kills per set. She also led the Red Wolves with 14 blocks over the three-match tournament.
Freshman Brittany Hoag also earned all-tournament honors at the ASU Classic for the second time this season after leading the team with 26 kills, and senior libero Heather Bowman earned all-tournament honors as well after leading the Red Wolves with 61 digs.  Bowman earned her second all-tournament honor of 2009 at the MSU Bulldog Invitational, tallying 70 digs, four service aces and six assists.  At the tournament, she surpassed her career-high for the second time this season, posting 31 digs in ASU’s 3-1 victory over Eastern Michigan.
Sophomore Charlyn Ursell became the fourth Red Wolf to earn all-tournament honors this year.  At the UT-Arlington Hilton Invitational, Ursell led the Red Wolves on the weekend with 51 kills, averaging 3.40 kills per set.

MAKING A DEBUT:  Freshman outside hitter Brittany Hoag was named to the all-tournament team at the Memphis Invitational Aug. 28-29 after leading the Red Wolves to a 2-1 record at the tournament.  Hoag finished the weekend with 35 kills, including a high of 14 against Evansville to help rally the Red Wolves from a two-set deficit and earn the five-set victory.  Hoag averaged a team-high 2.92 kills per game and also led the Red Wolves with 44 digs and added 10 blocks.
Freshman Kelsie Hodges played in all 12 sets of her first weekend in the Red Wolves’ lineup.  She posted 25 kills, a team-high .303 hitting percentage and 18 blocks over the three matches at the Memphis Invitational.
Freshman Taylor Coughlin led the Red Wolves in their first weekend of SBC play in Jonesboro with a total of 24 kills against South Alabama and Troy.  Coughlin also posted 18 digs, a service ace and an assist in the two matches.

NEW CAREER-HIGHS:  Junior setter Laura Bennett posted a career-high five blocks to go along with 42 assists and 11 digs in ASU’s season opener against SEMO at the Memphis Invitational.  Bennett broke her own record the next day against Evansville, finishing the match with seven blocks, then added six more in just three sets in ASU’s victory over Memphis to close out the tournament.  The Kansas City native also surpassed her career-high with 62 assists in ASU’s 3-1 win over UALR Nov. 6 in Little Rock.
Sophomore middle blocker Cayla Fielder surpassed her previous career-high of eight blocks twice at the Memphis Invitational, opening the season with a 10-block effort against SEMO before adding nine blocks in ASU’s second match against Evansville.  Fielder notched five more blocks in just three sets of action against Memphis.   Fielder was responsible for more than 50 percent of ASU’s 46 blocks on the weekend and also averaged 2.83 kills per set.  She pounded out a career-high 22 kills in ASU’s five-set win over Denver to close the regular season.
Senior libero Heather Bowman surpassed her career-high for the fourth time this season, posting 36 digs in ASU’s five-set win over UALR Oct. 27 in Jonesboro.
Fielder and Bowman both surpassed their career-highs in service aces in ASU’s 3-0 victory over ULM.  Fielder notched four service aces, while Bowman tallied five.  As a team, the Red Wolves tied their season-high with 14 service aces in the match.  The team posted 14 earlier this season against Texas Southern at the UT-Arlington Hilton Invitational.

ASU IN SEASON OPENERS: The Red Wolves are 22-12 all-time in season openers.  Arkansas State fell to SEMO 3-1 in the 2009 season opener at the Memphis Invitational.  The Red Wolves topped Mississippi Valley State in the 2008 season opener at the Texas Southern Season Opening Tournament.  Following that win, ASU won its next three matches to get off to the best start since it went 5-0 to start the 2004 season.

FIELDER NAMED 2009 PRESEASON ALL-SUN BELT CONFERENCE: Arkansas State sophomore middle blocker Cayla Fielder has been named to the 2009 All-Sun Belt Conference Preseason Volleyball Team, the league announced Aug. 25.  Fielder was the only sophomore selected for the team as voted on by all 13 head coaches from across the Sun Belt Conference.
Florida International outside hitter Yarimar Rosa was named the league's Preseason Player of the Year, while Denver libero Kacie Wikierak was named Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
Fielder earned All-SBC second-team honors and was named SBC Freshman of the Year following the 2008 season after seeing action in all 33 matches as a true freshman.  She led the Red Wolves with 103 blocks on the year and was second on the team with 291 kills, averaging 2.47 kills per set.  She also posted a hitting percentage of .363 at the end of regular season play to rank fourth in the Sun Belt and 36th nationally.  Fielder ended the season with a .356 hitting percentage that ranks sixth in the ASU record book, and she was named to the Texas Southern and UMKC Kangaroo Klassic All-Tournament teams during the season as well.
"I think Cayla earning preseason all-conference is a great reward," said ASU head coach Justin Ingram.  "She has proven to be one of the best players in the conference, and hopefully we can use this as momentum for our team going into this first weekend."

SENIORS READY FOR FINAL CAMPAIGN: “There are four seniors this year.  Two of them are defensive specialist/libero candidates,” said Ingram.  “I think whoever can serve-receive best will be utilized in the libero position.  That is the first thing I will look at, and then how they defend and how they serve.  Those three things will make up that position.  Both Heather Bowman and Erin Neeley have had playing experience last year.  They both played significant amounts and contributed for the team last year, and I see both of them contributing again this year.”
Senior defensive specialist Erin Neeley (5’5” Jonesboro, Ark.) led the Arkansas State squad for the third consecutive season with 441 digs and enters the 2009 season ranked fourth on the ASU career digs chart with 1,323 digs.  She was named Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Week October 20 after leading ASU to a 3-0 week against New Orleans, Louisiana-Lafayette and Louisiana-Monroe.
Senior defensive specialist Heather Bowman (5’8” Forth Smith, Ark.) posted 338 digs to rank second on the team in 2008.  She added 15 service aces, 30 assists and nine kills on the season.
Senior outside hitter Mandy DeWalt (5’8” Houston, Texas) finished the 2008 season with 185 kills.  She recorded a career high 17 kills twice in the same day, setting the mark September 13 against Southern Illinois and again later in the day against Western Illinois.  DeWalt also posted 175 digs, 21 blocks, 21 service aces and 17 assists  on the year.
“Mandy is a big contributor,” Ingram added.  “She's a passing left-side hitter.  She plays all the way around and will have the ability to play for us a significant amount of time, because she can do more than one thing pretty well.  She can pass well.  She can attack at a pretty high level, and she can also do some of the little things that end up to be big things on the court.  She has experience within the Sun Belt Conference.”

HEAD COACH JUSTIN INGRAM:   Arkansas State University Director of Athletics Dr. Dean Lee announced Friday, April 17 that Justin Ingram was named head coach of the Red Wolves volleyball team.
"We are very excited to name Justin Ingram as our new women's volleyball coach," said Lee.  "Justin has obviously been associated with some outstanding programs at Kansas State and Houston.  He comes with a tremendous reputation as a great trainer and as a great recruiter.  He started as one of our top candidates and remained there until the end."
Ingram becomes the sixth head coach in ASU volleyball history after serving eight years as an assistant coach at Kansas State.         
During his time at Kansas State, he served as the recruiting coordinator and offensive coordinator for the Wildcats who posted a 171-79 record and made seven NCAA tournament appearances during his time with the program.
While at Kansas State, the Wildcats earned American Volleyball Coaches Association top-25 final rankings six different seasons including a No. 11 final ranking in 2003.  The Wildcats also had seven 20-win seasons in his time there, including a 30-win season and a first-place finish in the Big 12 in 2003.  Kansas State's final RPI ranked in the top-30 nationally during seven of Ingram's eight seasons with the Wildcats.
Ingram served the previous two years as an assistant coach at the University of Houston.  He served as a junior college recruiting coordinator, travel coordinator and assistant director of camps.  The Cougars posted a 42-24 record and made back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances and posted consecutive 20-win seasons in 1998 and 1999.  The Cougars were the Conference USA National Division Runners-up in 1998 and C-USA National Division Champions in 1999.
During his career, Ingram has helped lead teams to nine NCAA Tournament appearances including a trip to the Sweet Sixteen in 2003.   He has coached eight All-America selections, 22 All-Big 12 selections, 55 Academic All-Big 12 players, six All-Conference USA selections, four Big 12 Libero of the Year winners, a Big 12 Player of the Year, a Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and a C-USA Player of the Year.
Ingram earned his bachelor's degree in Community and Regional Planning from Iowa State University in 1995 and a master's degree in City and Regional Planning from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 1998.
"Arkansas State is a tremendous university with an excellent volleyball program and I'm thrilled to be here," said Ingram.  "I think the program is heading in a very positive direction and I'm excited to be part of its future.  Not only does ASU have a strong volleyball program, it's in a strong conference and has great support from the community.  So, this is a great situation and opportunity and I look forward to the challenges ahead."

ASSISTANT COACH JULIE ALLEN:  Julie Allen joined the Arkansas State volleyball staff as an assistant coach on April 1, 2008, after two seasons at Georgetown.
Allen joined the Georgetown program in August 2006 after spending nearly two years at California State University at Chico as the assistant women’s volleyball coach and head men’s club coach.
“I am truly excited that Julie agreed to come to Arkansas State and our volleyball program,” ASU former head coach Craig Cummings said. “She brings with her a wealth of experience from the Big East Conference, training the setters and coordinating the offense at Georgetown University during the last couple of seasons. With some very talented candidates in the pool, Julie stood out as the best, allowing our program to take advantage of her experience and expertise and help us climb back to the top of the Sun Belt Conference.”
After graduating from the University of Portland in 2002, Allen was the head volleyball coach at Tualatin High School in Tualatin, Ore. until 2003. She was a lead coach for the Empire Volleyball Club in Santa Rosa, Calif. from 2000-2004.
Allen is also a graduate of the NCAA Women’s Coaches Academy, which is designed for women coaches who are ready and willing to increase their individual effectiveness through learning advanced skills and strategies that directly affect their personal and team success.
A four-year setter at Portland, Allen stands at fifth on the Pilots’ all-time career assists list with 2,042.
    “Julie is a bright young lady with a lot of energy and has an outside-the-box mentality towards developing new ways to train the team,” Cummings said. “She will coordinate our recruiting efforts as well as handle the video systems throughout the year.”

2008- A SEASON OF CHANGE FOR ARKANSAS STATE: The 2008-2009 season proved to be one of many up's and down's for the Arkansas State volleyball program.  A new mascot, 21 wins and honors along the way highlighted the 2008 season.
In finishing the regular season at 21-11 and 10-8 in league play, Arkansas State posted its highest winning percentage (.656) since the 2004 season, when ASU finished 25-7 (.781) and tied for first place in the Sun Belt East Division. 
Following regular season play, freshman Cayla Fielder was named to the All-Sun Belt Conference second team and selected as the SBC Freshman of the Year.  After just one season, Fielder has etched her named in the ASU record book with the sixth best single-season hitting percentage.
Junior Libero Erin Neeley staked her claim on the ASU career digs chart, ranking fourth with 1,323 digs with a season to play still ahead.
Junior Laura Bennett also moved into the record rankings, posting 1,224 assists on the year and earning the seventh spot on the single season chart.
ASU entered the Sun Belt Conference Tournament as the No. 7 seed, taking on second-seeded Middle Tennessee.  The Blue Raiders ended ASU's postseason play, topping the Red Wolves 3-0.
Over the season, the team posted four win streaks of four wins or more.  
With its 4-0 start, ASU got off to its best start since the 2004 season when it started 5-0.  The team posted wins over Mississippi Valley State, Texas Southern and The Citadel in the Texas Southern Season-Opening Tournament followed by a win over UT-Martin at the Convocation Center September 2.  The Red Wolves did not lose a set in their first four matches.  Junior Konae Purcell was named MVP of the tournament and Neeley was named the tournament's outstanding defensive specialist, while Fielder was selected to the all-tournament team.
The second streak began in the last game of the Hampton Inn Saluki Invitational September 13 when Arkansas State defeated Western Illinois 3-1.  The Red Wolves then won three straight matches at the Western Carolina Catamount Clash over Presbyterian, Western Carolina and Norfolk State.  Purcell was also named MVP of the Catamount Clash, while now-departed senior Mafo Joelle earned all-tournament honors.
Back-to-back home wins over Louisiana-Lafayette September 26 and Louisiana-Monroe September 28 started the third win streak, followed by road wins over South Alabama and Troy.  The Red Wolves also topped Memphis 3-1 at home October 7, before losing to Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky.
The last win streak started with a road-swing through the state of Louisiana beginning October 16.  ASU defeated New Orleans 3-0, Louisiana-Lafayette 3-1 and Louisiana-Monroe 3-0 over the weekend.  Neeley was named SBC Defensive Player of the Week following the weekend sweep.  The Red Wolves returned home to top Florida Atlantic October 24 before falling to Florida International the next day.
Arkansas State won its last two matches on the road, winning at UALR 3-2 and North Texas 3-0.
The end of the 2008 season also marked the end of head coach Craig Cummings’ time at Arkansas State.  Cummings announced his resignation in February 2009 after 13 years at ASU, and Justin Ingram was named head coach in April.

Red Wolves Volleyball Takes Four-Set Win Over North Texas:
JONESBORO, Ark. (11/13/09) - The Arkansas State Red Wolves (21-10, 11-6) defeated North Texas (11-19, 7-9) in a 3-1 (25-11, 22-22, 14-25, 25-17) Sun Belt Conference decision Friday night at Jonesboro High School.
"We just played North Texas a couple weeks ago and were not only familiar, but extremely prepared for what kind of match it was going to be," said ASU head coach Justin Ingram.  "Containing their left side hitter and holding her to below her average was a goal our team had.  We made some blocking adjustment to our system and Char and both middles (Fielder and Hodges) were outstanding and made it very difficult for their left's to get into a good rhythm all night."
ASU rolled past North Texas in set one 25-11, but the Mean Green pushed back in the second set.  The Red Wolves held on to take set two 25-22, but UNT fired back with a third set win 25-14, forcing the match into four sets.
The Red Wolves jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in set four on two Mean Green errors, a service ace from junior Laura Bennett and a kill from freshman Brittany Hoag.  Arkansas State never trailed in the set, winning 25-17 to take the match.
Sophomore Cayla Fielder led the offensive effort with 11 kills on the night followed by freshman Taylor Coughlin with ten and sophomore Charlyn Ursell and Hoag each posting nine.  Senior libero Heather Bowman tallied 29 digs on the night, while Bennett and Hoag each landed in double-digits with 12 each.
Freshman Kelsie Hodges finished the match with six blocks, including three unassisted.  Fielder and Ursell each put in five blocks as well, while Coughlin added two.
Bennett served up a team-high three service aces.

ASU Volleyball Tops Denver in Five-Set Thriller, Claims SBC West Division Co-Championship:  JONESBORO, Ark. (11/14/09) - The Arkansas State Red Wolves (22-10, 12-6) defeated the Denver Pioneers (16-16, 11-7) in a five-set (20-25, 25-13, 22-25, 25-23, 15-7) thriller at Jonesboro High School to close out the regular season and claim the Sun Belt Conference West Division Co-Championship.
"This win is absolutely huge," said ASU head coach Justin Ingram.  "They got us the first time up at their place, but we had a little redemption.  We knew coming into it that it would be very challenging.  Denver is a well-coached, very physical team.  We struggled early but evened out as the match went along, and the seniors were huge tonight, all three of them."
The Pioneers pulled away from an 11-11 tie in the first set, scoring three straight points.  The Red Wolves could not recover as Denver took the set 25-20.  Arkansas State fired back, cruising past the Pioneers 25-13 in set two.
Tied at 21 in set three, DU used two ASU errors and a kill to take the lead 24-21.  The Red Wolves took the next point on a DU attacking error, but the Pioneers recovered, winning 25-22.  Sophomore Cayla Fielder pounded out two consecutive kills to sway the fourth set 25-23 in favor of the Red Wolves, forcing a fifth set.
ASU jumped out to an early 7-2 lead in the fifth set and soared past the Pioneers, taking the match with a 15-7 fifth-set victory.
Fielder led the Red Wolves with 22 kills and a .471 hitting percentage.  Freshman Brittany Hoag added 13 kills, while senior Mandy DeWalt posted ten.  Hoag and senior Erin Neeley each put in two service aces in the match.
Senior libero Heather Bowman topped the team 28 digs, followed by Hoag and Neeley with 11 each.  Fielder led the team with six blocks, including five unassisted.
"Fielder was 'the deal' tonight," added Ingram.  "It seemed like each time we could get her the ball, she took advantage of the situation."
Seniors Bowman, DeWalt and Neeley were honored following the match for their efforts while at Arkansas State.  Bowman said, "Usually when you go out as a freshman, sophomore or junior, you think 'well, maybe next game.' Tonight there wasn't a next game, so it was so important for us to come out on top.  This is the last memory I'll have at home, and I wanted to end it just like we did.  15-7 in the fifth game, there is no better way to end it, and I'm so proud of everyone."