Conway – The Central Arkansas volleyball program is set to begin a new era in 2015, as the Sugar Bears will play their first season under the direction of head coach Jeni Jones. Central Arkansas, who has appeared in the past three Southland Conference Tournament Championship matches, begins its quest for a fourth appearance, and third SLC Tournament Championship title, on Friday, taking part in the UNLV Invitational.

The Sugar Bears are led by a strong core of returning players that Jones feels confident will help the squad achieve its goals this season. "We have a strong core group of talented and committed players returning from the 2014 season that are eager to get this year underway," Jones said. "That group has done an excellent job of integrating the new players, both into the volleyball program, and into UCA, and we are looking forward to being a part of all that this talented group will accomplish. We will have three captains this season, in Corri Hunt, Fulani Petties, and Amy South. All three players bring different, but necessary, skill sets to the captaincy, and we feel confident that this trio will help guide our team to great accomplishments, both on the court and in the class room."

The Central Arkansas attack sees three players return, led by 2014 AVCA All-America Honorable Mention Heather Schnars. A senior from Downey, California, Schnars had a season for the ages last year, earning SLC Player of the Year Honors while ranking second in the league in total kills (425) and kills per set (4.21) and ranking in the top 10 in the SLC in hitting percentage (.300) and service aces per set (0.36). Schnars was the league's Offensive Player of the Week four times last year, and earlier this month was named to the Preseason All-SLC first team.

"It's always great when you can return an All-American to your team," said Jones. "Heather is a very efficient and smart attacker, but what impresses me most about her is the work she has put in during the spring season and throughout the summer to become a true six rotation player."

Junior Petties, who joined Schnars on the Preseason All-SLC first team, collected 122 kills against SLC opponents last season for an average of 2.07 kills per set.

"Fulani has really stepped up her game with a solid and strong level of consistency no matter what position she plays on the floor," said Jones of the Whitehouse, Texas native. "Coupling that consistency with the power and speed that she possesses, I believe that she will help us achieve something very special this fall."

The Sugar Bears also return sophomore Megan Nash, who, during a very impressive freshman campaign last season, averaged 1.55 kills per set while adding a team-high 0.78 blocks per set.

"Like a lot of our attackers, Megan has the ability to play any position; and play it well," said Jones about the Oakville, Ontario native. "She is not just a smart attacker, but she is also a 4.00 GPA student. Unfortunately, Megan missed the spring due to illness, but every opportunity she has she shows how eager she is to make a big impact on this team."

The Bears also return a pair of setters that both saw plenty of playing time in 2014. South, from Spring, Texas, ranked third in the SLC with 701 assists last season, good for an average of 10.60 per set. Against Oklahoma on November 18^th, she set a school-record with 66 assists.

"Amy has great vision on the court and does a solid job of running a dynamic and fast offense," said Jones. "Her ability to play great floor defense allows us to stay in system and remain as terminal as possible, while her dedication to her team and this program are two big reasons for her selection as team captain."

When South missed time due to injury last year, sophomore Kristine Hjembo, from Aalesund, Norway, stepped in admirably, averaging 8.47 assists per set during her 15 starts.

"Kris has a very charismatic personality that is contagious," said Jones. "She brings a lethal serve and great energy to the floor. Kris did an excellent job last season and made the most of her opportunities, and we are looking forward to seeing more of the same this fall."

Hunt, from Cypress, California, was one of the Sugar Bears' key defensive subs last season, playing in all but two sets while averaging 1.41 digs and posting a reception percentage of .919.

"Corri has emerged as our most consistent player from our floor defensive department," said Jones of the junior defensive specialist. "She has come a long way since just last spring, in her physical training, in the weight room, and in her skill set execution in the gym, and we are excited to see how well she helps lead our back court defense."

Central Arkansas also welcomes seven new players to the fold this year, at positions all over the court. "Our 2015 roster is made up of the core returners, one junior college transfer, and six freshmen," said Jones on the makeup of her roster.

Offensive help comes from Rachel Sharp, of Tarkington, Texas, Kellen Dunn, from Austin, Texas, Nicole Peters, of Lake Jackson, Texas, Savanah Allen, from St. Catharines, Ontario, and Samantha Anderson, from Tyler, Texas.

"Rachel is a two-time JUCO National Champion from Blinn Junior College," said Jones. "She brings a wealth of high-level competitive experience that will add to the fire power we have on the outside along with Kellen, who brings a steady and consistent style of play. Joining our dynamic middle blocker crew are Nicole and Savanah, who can both attack a variety of sets, which will allow us to vary our side-out and transition offenses. Adding to our right side arsenal is Sam, a six-foot, three-inch freshman who is a very versatile attacker and an exceptional blocker."

On the defensive front, the Sugar Bears have added Allie Kemp, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Amanda Dimon, from Tyler, Texas, and Courtney Kendig, from Hot Springs, Arkansas.
"All three bring consistency, energy, and communication to aid in our solid first ball contact," said Jones of the defensive trio of newcomers.

Central Arkansas opens the season with three-straight weekends on the road, traveling to Las Vegas, Nevada, Norman, Oklahoma, and Los Angeles, California, before opening the home portion of its schedule during the weekend of September 17^th through September 19^th. During that 10-game road trip, the Sugar Bears will face off against 2014 NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship participants Little Rock, Loyola Marymount, Long  Beach State, Oakland, and Oklahoma. "Being on the road the first three weekends of play is challenging in itself, not to mention the playing the caliber of team that we are playing," said Jones of the Sugar Bears' schedule. "We are excited to start our preseason with strong opponents, and we look forward to having the opportunity to play some of the best teams in the country to prepare us for a strong Southland Conference schedule of play."

Central Arkansas will open the conference slate on September 17, opening the UCA Volleyball Crain Automotive Invitational against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at the Prince Center. The match looks to be an exciting one, as the Sugar Bears were picked to finish second in the league by the conference's sports information directors, while the coaches tabbed the Islanders for a second place finish. "With the SLC preseason rankings, and all of the talented players the conference teams are returning, it should be a very exciting conference season," said Jones.

The Sugar Bears under Jones look to continue implementing the fast-paced offense that Central Arkansas fans are used to. "Like the previous coaching staffs for UCA Volleyball, we are looking to run an aggressive offense," said Jones. "Regardless of the style of offense and defense we run, we want to play to our strengths based off of the personnel we have in the program. To run an aggressive offense, you need to start with great first ball contact and combine that with a setting department that knows our attackers inside and out and that can create an offense that puts our attackers in the best possible scenario to score."

Central Arkansas takes the court tomorrow at 8:00 PM, facing off with tournament host UNLV. On Saturday, the Sugar Bears will play a pair of matches, first battling Seton Hall at 2:30 PM before wrapping up their weekend against Nebraska-Omaha at 6:30 PM. For live stats and tournament info, see: http://www.unlvrebels.com/sports/w-volley/spec-rel/unlv-invitational-15.html