Follow Coach McFatrich on Twitter @UCAvball
CONWAY — The Central Arkansas volleyball team has released its schedule for the 2012 season, second-year head coach David McFatrich announced this week. UCA will play a tough non-conference schedule that includes Missouri State – a Top 50 RPI program and NCAA Tournament participant a year ago, Big 12 member Texas Tech, Southern Miss out of Conference USA, Louisiana Tech from the WAC, South Alabama from the Sun Belt, and SWAC champion and NCAA Tournament participant Jackson State.
"We are playing a challenging non-conference schedule this season, facing opponents from a variety of conferences," McFatrich said. "The quality of the teams we are playing should put us in good position to prepare for our conference season.”
The Sugar Bears return to the court after a stellar 2011 in which they won their fourth consecutive Southland Conference East Division title. They advanced to the Southland Conference Tournament semi-finals where they lost to eventual NCAA tournament participant Texas State 16-14 in the fifth game.
They’ll begin their season on the road for the first two weekends at tournaments at Southern Miss and Stetson before returning home to host a tournament on Sept. 6-8 that will include UAPB, Jackson State, Jacksonville State and South Dakota.
The remainder of UCA’s non-conference schedule includes a visit to UCA by Big 12 member Texas Tech on Tuesday Oct. 2 and a trip to NCAA tournament participant Missouri St. on Oct. 8.
The Sugar Bears will open Southland Conference play on the road against Texas A&M Corpus Christi on Sept. 13 and at Sam Houston Sept. 15. Their first home conference games will be Thursday Sept. 20 against Nicholls and Saturday Sept. 22 against Southeastern Louisiana.
It will be the first season since UCA joined the conference that the Southland will not have divisions, following the departure of Texas State, UT Arlington and UTSA to the WAC. With the Southland in its first year as a 10-member conference with the addition of Oral Roberts, league play will be in double round-robin format. ORU finished last season No. 87 in the RPI with a 20-10 overall record and third-place finish in the Summit League.
UCA will close out the regular season by playing four of its final six matches at home before hosting the conference tournament at the Farris Center for the second consecutive season on Nov. 16-18.
2012 UCA VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE
August 24 at Southern Miss:
11:00 am South Alabama vs. UCA
3:00 pm UCA vs. La Tech
August 25 at Southern Miss:
11:00 pm Southern Miss vs. UCA
August 31-Sept. 1 at Stetson (schedule unknown at present):
Stetson, Florida Atlantic, Hampton, Wofford, UCA
Sept. 6-8 UCA
(Hosting UAPB, Jackson St., Jacksonville St., South Dakota)
6th - 7:00 pm UAPB vs. UCA
7th- 10 am Jackson St. vs. Jacksonville St.
12 am UAPB vs. South Dakota
2 pm Jackson St. vs. UCA
6 pm South Dakota vs. UCA
8th - 10 am UAPB vs. Jackson St.
12 am Jacksonville St. vs. South Dakota
2 pm South Dakota vs. Jackson St.
4 pm Jacksonville St. vs. UCA
Sept. 13 - at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Sept. 15 - at Sam Houston State
Sept. 20 - Nicholls
Sept. 22 - SLU
Sept. 27 - at Northwestern State
Sept. 29 - at Stephen F. Austin
Oct. 2 - Texas Tech
Oct. 4 - McNeese
Oct. 6 - Lamar
Oct. 8 - at Missouri St.
Oct. 13 - Oral Roberts
Oct. 18 - at Nicholls
Oct. 20 - at Southeastern La.
Oct. 23 - at Oral Roberts
Oct. 25 - Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Oct. 27 - Sam Houston State
Nov. 1 - at Lamar
Nov. 3 - at McNeese State
Nov. 8 - Northwestern State
Nov. 10 - Stephen F. Austin
Nov. 16-18 - Southland Conference Tournament
