Volleyball 8/26/2010 7:01:27 PM

VOLLEYBALL OPENS SEASON IN WYOMING

Junior outside hitter Jessica Hays

LARAMIE, Wyo - The University of Central Arkansas will begin the 2010 season at the UniWyo Wyoming Invite this weekend. The Sugar Bears will start on Friday with Northern Arizona at noon (central time) and the host Cowgirls at 8 p.m. On Saturday, UCA will take on Murray State at noon and Southern Utah at 6 p.m.

The Sugar Bears are hoping to continue last year's momentum, where they went 27-3 and won the Southland Conference regular season title with a 16-0 record. Last year's team won 26 of their last 27 matches.

Click here for live stats for all matches and live video against Wyoming.
For full match notes, click here.

• Central Arkansas will open the season at the UniWyo Wyoming Invite in Laramie this weekend. The Sugar Bears will face Northern Arizona and the host Cowgirls on Friday and Murray State and Southern Utah on Saturday.
• The Sugar Bears are coming off their most successful season in program history, going 27-3 overall and 16-0 en route to a Southland Conference regular season title. UCA returns six letterwinners and four starters from last year’s squad
• At 27-3, UCA has the sixth highest winning percentage in the country behind: #1 Penn State (38-0), #2 Texas (29-2), Hawaii (32-3), Northern Iowa (31-3) and Florida State (31-3). The .900 winning percentage was also the third consecutive year the Sugar Bears have broke the school record in winning percentage – 24-7 (.774) in 2008 and 24-9 (.727) in 2007.
• Northern Arizona is coming off a 8-17 season and a 5-10 record in the Big Sky Conference. The Lumberjacks return 10 letterwinners from last year’s team and was picked to finish seventh in the Big Sky preseason poll.
• NAU won the only meeting with the Sugar Bears, taking a 30-28, 31-29, 23-30, 30-27 decision at NAU’s Invitational on Aug. 25, 2006. The match was UCA’s first as a NCAA Division I team.
• Wyoming went 13-18 overall and 3-13 in the Mountain West last season. The Cowgirls return six starters from last year’s squad. They were picked eighth in the preseason MWC poll.
• Sophomore outside hitter Jodi Purdy was named preseason All-Mountain West after averaging 3.43 kills and 2.53 digs per set to go with a .208 hitting percentage in 2009.
• This will the Sugar Bears’ first meeting with Wyoming.
• Murray State is coming off a 13-18 season, where they went 11-7 in Ohio Valley Conference play. The Racers advanced to the OVC Tournament semifinals and were picked to finish third in the preseason poll this season. MSU only lost two players from last year’s team.
• Junior setter Jade Guo, junior libero Kayleah Sauer and senior outside hitter Becca Lamb were named to the 2010 preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference team. Guo averaged 10.12 assists per set last year. Lamb hit .272 with 2.54 kills per set and Sauer averaged 5.01 digs, ranking 34th in the nation.
• The Racers defeated the Sugar Bears on Sept. 16, 2006 in their only match. MSU won 30-27, 30-28, 32-30 at the Memphis Invitational.
• Southern Utah went 9-20 in their first season of collegiate volleyball in more than 20 years. The Thunderbirds went 7-12 in The Summit League and returns nine players from the team. They were picked eighth in the preseason Summit League poll.
• This will be the first meeting between Central Arkansas and Southern Utah.
• The Sugar Bears were picked to repeast as champions in the preseason Southland Conference sports information directors poll. The coaches picked UCA second, behind Texas State.
• Senior right side Chloe Smith is the reigning two-time Southland Player of the Year, was named as one of 30 national candidates for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award. She ranked 15th in the nation with 4.46 kills per set last year.
• Junior libero Cristin Curl, the 2009 Southland Conference Libero of the Year, was named to the preseason All-Southland Conference First Team. She led the SLC with 4.63 digs per set.
• Junior outside hitter Jessica Hays was named to the preseason All-Southland Conference Second Team. She was second on the team last season with 2.88 kills and 2.83 digs per set.
• Central Arkansas have won 16 straight home matches, dating back to 2008 and went 13-0 last season. Since 2005, the Sugar Bears are 54-10 in the Prince Center for a .844 winning percentage.
• This is the first season UCA will be eligible for post season play after a four NCAA Division I transition period.

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University of Central Arkansas Athletics

VOLLEYBALL OPENS SEASON IN WYOMING

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