Conway – The Central Arkansas volleyball team is set to open the 2016 season with a trio of matches at the Memphis Invitational, hosted by the University of Memphis this weekend. The Sugar Bears will face off with Belmont and Memphis on Friday, before closing out the weekend against Chicago State on Saturday.

Central Arkansas is coming off a 2015 season which saw them turn a 12-4 record in Southland Conference play into the second seed in the SLC tournament during their first year under the guidance of head coach Jeni Jones Chatman. That success is expected to continue, as the league's sports information directors pegged the Sugar Bears to finish third and the coaches selected UCA to finish fourth this season. UCA is led by 2015 Southland Conference Student-Athlete of the Year Megan Nash, who ranked second in the SLC with an average of 1.32 blocks per set. She is joined by sophomore Samantha Anderson, who joined Nash as a 2016 Preseason All-Southland Conference selection after a freshman campaign in which she ranked second on the team with averaged of 2.25 kills and 0.99 blocks per set.

Belmont earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2015 thanks to an 11-5 record in Ohio Valley Conference play and a win in the OVC Tournament. The Bruins return 10 letterwinners from last season's squad, including junior Arianna Person, who led the team in kills, digs, and service aces a year ago. Central Arkansas holds a 1-0 lead in the all-time series with the Bruins, thanks to a 3-0 win in 2009.

Memphis turned in a record of 19-14 last season, including an even 10-10 mark in American Athletic Conference. The Tigers return a trio of players in seniors Catlin Lilly, McKenzie Hayes, and Summer Morgan that combined for more than 1,000 points and almost 900 kills last year. Memphis holds a 6-1 edge in the all-time series with the Sugar Bears, though UCA got the win in the lasts meeting between the two teams in 2010.

Chicago State went just 1-27 overall and failed to win a match in the Western Athletic Conference during head coach Brandon Reeves' inaugural season at the helm. The
Cougars return four starters from last year's team, led by libero Shontanae Addison, who ranked third in the WAC and seventh in program history with an average of 3.30 digs per set last season. Saturday will mark the first-ever meeting between the Sugar Bears and the Colonels.