CONWAY, Ark. – The Central Arkansas Sugar Bears saw their season end on Friday night as they fell to the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders (19-11, 11-5 SLC) 3-0 in the first round of the SLC Tournament at the Farris Center. The Sugar Bears (16-14, 10-6 SLC) were unable to generate much offense on the night as they were held to a .123 hitting percentage while the Islanders hit .258% for 46 kills on 15 errors.
 
Sophomore Madi Bowles led the Sugar Bears offense with a game-high 10 kills while senior Abbie Harry contributed 9. Junior Bailey Waddington led in the sharing department with 16 assists while junior Emily Doss turned in one final gem defensively as she led both sides with 25 digs.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
 
SET 1 – Sugar Bears: 15 points, 9 kills on four errors and .147 hitting % | Islanders: 25 points, 19 kills on five errors and .412 hitting %
 
SET 2 – Sugar Bears: 18 points, 11 kills on 10 errors and .026 hitting % | Islanders: 25 points, 12 kills on five errors and .189 hitting %
 
SET 3 – Sugar Bears: 23 points, 15 kills on six errors and .184 hitting % | Islanders: 25 points, 15 kills on five errors and .204 hitting %
 
ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH JOHN NEWBERRY ON THE SEASON-ENDING LOSS
 
"I know that it comes down to the win/loss column right now but thinking on the season, I'm very proud of this team and their resiliency. It's been a unique season from not having a head coach around, having two coaches on the bench and several athletic trainers through the year – but never once was anybody thrown for a loop. The resiliency of the team is what's on my mind right here in this moment.
 
Corpus Christi played an almost perfect game. Their defense in the back row is what did it, they have the libero of the year who is an absolute stud and was a difference maker for them. We didn't help the cause, but congrats to Corpus Christi."
 
FINAL REMARKS ON THE 2019 SEASON
 
The Sugar Bears wrapped up a 2019 campaign that saw hardships, closeness, tears and smiles. The team overcame an early 3-6 conference mark, head coach resignation and multiple injuries and turned it into a 16-win season that advanced them to their tenth straight SLC Tournament. Associate Head Coach Marissa Collins said it best as she shared some season takeaways during an interview on Wednesday.
 
"I'm so incredibly proud of this team," Collins said. "They have just grown so much this season and each and every one of them has grown as a player and person. I'm also thankful that John is the one that I've gotten to do this with. We've been together for a long time now and share similar thoughts, coaching style and have the same philosophies – I'm just thankful that this opportunity was thrown into both of our laps because we have really fed off each other to find success."
 
Success was found, and an unforgettable season was formed. Thanks for a fun season, Sugar Bears.