Conway – After opening the 2015 season with a three-week, 10-match road trip, the Central Arkansas volleyball team is poised to play in Conway this weekend. The Sugar Bears will open both Southland Conference play and the 2015 UCA Volleyball Crain Automotive Invitational on Thursday night, welcoming Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to the Prince Center.

Following the match between the Sugar Bears and Islanders on Thursday night, the tournament will shift to the Farris Center for three matches on Friday and two more on Saturday.

The four team tournament will feature a pair of SLC squads in the Sugar Bears and Islanders, as well as Conference USA's Louisiana Tech and the SWAC's Alabama State. While the Thursday night match between UCA and TAMCC promises to be highly-competitive, as both were picked in to finish in the top-three by the league's coaches and SID's, the entire tournament should prove exciting for fans. The Lady Techsters have shown improvement in their record in all three seasons under coach Adriano de Souza, while the Lady Hornets have made back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances.

Central Arkansas (2-8) enters the tournament following a 1-3 weekend at the LMU/LBSU Mizuno Invitational, where the Sugar Bears defeated Stony Brook 3-1 before falling to Loyola Marymount, Oakland, and Long Beach State by identical 3-0 scores.

The Sugar Bear offense is led by senior Heather Schnars, who ranks in the top-five in the Southland Conference in service aces (0.67 per set) and kills (3.58 per set). The 2014 Southland Player of the Year is hitting a team-high .241 and ranks third on the team with 2.18 digs per set.

Freshman Samantha Anderson and junior Fulani Petties also help on the offensive side of the net, averaging 2.08 and 1.87 kills per set, respectively, while senior Amy South dishes out a team-high 8.54 assists per set.

On the defensive side, the Sugar Bears rank second in the Southland in blocks per set, led by junior Megan Nash's 1.33 average and freshman Savanah Allen's 1.03 average. Freshman Amanda Dimon and senior Corri Hunt lead the squad with averages of 2.62 and 2.50 digs per set.

For the full tournament schedule, visit: http://ucasports.com/sports/2015/9/15/VB_0915150817.aspx?path=wvball