FORT SMITH, Ark. — With the postseason fates of both teams already locked up, the Newman volleyball team put a scare into regular-season champion Arkansas-Fort Smith, but fell 3-0 in the season finale Thursday evening.

KEY SEQUENCE

The Jets (11-2, 4-8 Heartland) let the Lions (24-6, 11-1 Heartland) slip away in the first set, but seemed bound and determined to equal the score in the second. They skipped out to a 12-6 lead midway through the second, but the hosts wrestled control back with a 7-0 run, and used a four-point spurt a bit later to hold onto the lead for good on the way to a 25-21, 25-21, 25-13 victory.

HOW IT HAPPENED

-UAFS picked up the first lead of more than a point at 6-3 in the first set, but the Jets kept it close and broke to their first lead with a 4-0 run. Three blocks — all involving Crystal Powell — and an Emily Harvey kill made it 12-11 in favor of the guests, and another block with Powell and Hailey Braddy put Newman back up 13-12. The Lions went up again at 16-14, but a block from Braddy and Yemima Buana, followed by a kill out of Kayla Turner, tied it up at 16-all. UAFS went back in front, but the Jets kept it close, scoring points to make it 19-17 and 20-18 late.

-Powell turned in a kill and an ace early to stake Newman to a 3-2 lead in the second, and the Jets stormed out to a 6-1 lead with three kills and a block from Buana to go in front 10-5. Back-to-back kills from Turner extended that lead to 12-6 before the Lions rattled off seven straight. Another Turner kill tied it at 13-13, and an error made it 14-14, but UAFS would move in front 23-16. A late Newman charge, led by kills from Sophia Helsing and Braddy, brought the Jets to within 23-20, but the hosts netted two of the final three points to hold on.

-An early 7-0 run put the Lions ahead 8-2 in the third. A block from Buana and Turner between two UAFS errors got Newman back to within 11-8, and kills from Powell and Sarah Peterson made it 12-10 and 13-11, respectively. The Lions answered that with a six-point burst though, and managed to keep a comfortable margin for the rest of the set and clinch the match.

NOTES

-It was the final match for four Newman seniors, who each put up a solid night. Anna Burton posted 26 digs, Turner a team-high eight kills to go with 14 digs and three blocks, Harvey seven kills and a pair of blocks, and Peterson 13 digs, two kills and an ace.

-Powell totaled six blocks in the match to go with an efficient four kills on just eight attacks.