FORT SMITH, Ark. - The Southern Nazarene University volleyball team headed east to Fort Smith, Arkansas on Saturday looking to do something they had not done in the NCAA era of the program. The Crimson Storm had met the Lions of the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith four times in program history, but they had never found a way to take down UAFS in a match, though they did take the Lions to five sets a year ago in Bethany.

That all changed on Saturday afternoon.

SNU (11-5) dropped the first set, but the Crimson Storm bounced back to take the next three in succession, earning a four-set win over UAFS (10-3).

Fort Smith used an early 6-1 run to take an 8-3 lead in the opening frame. The Lions held the lead for the rest of the set, taking the set win 25-16, but coach Kevin Ingram's club responded well.

The second set was tightly contested through the early portions of play, but with SNU holding an 11-10 lead, Bailee Turang picked up a kill, and then followed with back-to-back service aces as a part of a 5-0 run that helped SNU open a 16-10 lead. A later 6-2 spurt for SNU helped put the Crimson Storm in position to square the match, and Bailey Grimes tallied a kill to cap the 25-18 set win, and SNU rode that momentum into the third frame.

The Crimson Storm seized control early in set three, as Meagan Ellis served SNU on a 6-0 run to start the set, and the Crimson Storm opened an early 8-1 lead. The lead ballooned to eight twice in the frame before the Lions closed the gap to 14-12 with a 6-0 run. SNU, however, managed to hold the lead, and a series of short runs helped SNU take the set 25-22, and SNU went up two sets to one.

SNU took four of the first five points of the fourth frame, but UAFS came back to take a 12-7 lead. The Lions held the advantage for much of the set, but the Crimson Storm methodically chipped away. SNU drew even at 18 with a 4-0 run, but UAFS recovered to take a 22-19 lead, and it looked like the match was headed for a fifth frame. SNU, though, had other ideas. Sunny Batschelett picked up a kill to close the gap to one, and Logan Matthews served SNU on a match-ending 5-0 run that included a pair of service aces as SNU took down the Lions 3-1.

Turang had her eighth double-double of the season, and it was her third in a row. She put down a match-high 18 kills and added 11 digs. Ellis added a dozen kills and 12 digs for a double-double as well, Grimes and Kayla Thomas each had eight kills, and Thomas added four blocks. Kylie Smith notched her fifth double-double of the season, and her second of the week, with 45 assists and 10 digs. She is now at 3,176 career assists as she continues to pursue the SNU all-time assists record. Matthews added 25 digs, and she, Turang, and Madeline Lynch each notched a pair of aces.

SNU will wrap up their road trip on Tuesday evening, back in Great American Conference play, as they head to nearby Shawnee, Oklahoma to take on the Oklahoma Baptist University Bison (13-3, 3-0 GAC). First serve will be at 7 p.m.