Conway - Since Athletic Director Dr. Brad Teague announced in October of 2015 that Central Arkansas would become one of 54 Division I athletic programs to sponsor beach volleyball, the UCA athletic community has been anxiously awaiting the official start of the program. On Friday, that wait will finally come to a close, as the Sugar Bears open their inaugural season at the Austin Peay Governors Beach Duals.

"It's really exciting, we've been talking about this being the inaugural season," said UCA head coach Jeni Jones Chatman. "There's so much excitement, not just for the university, or the athletic department, but definitely for our staff and our players. This tournament will be a little bit different than out other ones, because it's an indoor facility, which is obviously a lot different than what we've been practicing in, but it's still on sand; it's still volleyball, so we're really excited."

The roster that Chatman will send into battle this season is a blend of current and former indoor players, as well as a handful of transfers. Kellen Dunn, Abbie Harry, Kristine Hjembo, Megan Nash, and Haley Tippett all contributed to the UCA indoor volleyball program's run to the SLC Tournament Quarterfinals in November, while Heather Schnars and Amy South each played in a pair of NCAA Tournaments for the Sugar Bears. Transfers Kate Elman (Creighton), Stephanie Pollnow (Ouachita Baptist), MC Rogers (Hendrix), and Kimberly Schnars (Hope International) will help round out the roster, which is completed by freshman Mackenzie Dear.

"Heather and Amy have made a great transition to the beach program," said Chatman. "They've both picked up on the individual skill sets that they didn't have to use while playing the indoor game. Amy's never been an attacker so she's had a great growing experience, along with Kate, who was a great libero at Creighton, so it's been fun to watch that. And even players like Heather and Stephanie, to see their game evolve and transform has been so great; and then a player like Mackenzie, who is our lone freshman, comes in with a bit of beach experience, but she's already grown so much, so we're excited to see her continue to grow throughout her career. I know that our players are so excited to finally get to perform against other teams, because we've been playing against each other for so long. It's tough that we only get this one season with Kate, Amy, Heather and Steph, because it's already been such a great experience, but we're really excited about the season, and especially about getting to host our own tournament, even though it's not until April."

Beach volleyball, which was named an emerging sport by the NCAA in 2009 and achieved official sponsorship status in 2016, features pairs play, in which two players from each team face off against each other in five ranked matches, similar to NCAA Tennis. The pairs play a best-of-three format, with each set requiring 21 points from the winning team.

"The biggest differences in the game come in the setting and the expectations of what you see," said Chatman. "With the indoor game, you have six players on the floor, so you can have a play where every player is fulfilling their responsibilities, but only three players are directly involved with the ball, whereas in beach it's more than likely that both players are going to be touching the ball every time. The amount of positional responsibility you have increases tremendously, so you get to see individual players hold a
greater responsibility for points on the board and for wins and losses."

Chatman was quick to point out that the energy and excitement that Sugar Bear volleyball fans have grown to love are a key component of the beach game as well, saying, "You're still going to see a lot of excitement, a lot of celebration, and that competitive attitude and mentality that our fans have grown used to from our indoor program. Kate, Amy, and Heather are providing so much leadership to create the culture that we're looking for from our program."

The Governors Beach Duals will give the Sugar Bears an immediate barometer for where they stand as a program, as both Austin Peay and Tennessee-Martin are also in their inaugural seasons on the sand. The Governors currently sit a 2-8, while the Skyhawks will be opening the season this weekend, just like UCA. The tournament is rounded out by Carson-Newman (0-0), who is in its third season of beach volleyball, and Missouri Baptist (2-3), currently in its second year.

"I think there are a lot of unknowns for a lot of people," said Chatman.  "There's no film exchange policy, and nobody has played much yet anyway, so it's a lot different as far as scouting goes."