FLORENCE, ALA. - The University of Central Arkansas beach volleyball team opened up the 2020 campaign in dominating fashion, posting two victories on day 1 of the Shoals Beach Bash in Florence, Alabama.
 
UCA (2-0) kickstarted the season with a 5-0 sweep of Hendrix College before posting another 5-0 sweep against North Alabama in their second match. The 2-0 start marks the third consecutive season in which the Beach Bears started the season with two consecutive victories.
 
Central Arkansas 5, Hendrix College 0
 
In a battle with fellow Conway crosstown rival, Hendrix College, the Beach Bears were nearly flawless in their 5-0 domination of the Warriors. All five pairings ended in two sets, and the Beach Bears never allowed over 10 points in any set played.
 
Notables
 

• Spending most of last season as the No. 2 pairing, Aly Brinkley and Mackenzie Dear opened the 2020 season in the No. 1 pairing for the Beach Bears, allowing only 11 total points through two sets in their 21-4, 21-7 straight-set thrashing over the top pairing of Hendrix.
• The newly formed Sophomore/Junior duo of Kelsie Sager and Colene Hamilton continued the dominance, defeating the second pairing of Hendrix in a 21-10, 21-5 straight-set win.
• The young combination of Faith Hasness and Evelyn Griffith were brilliant in the No. 3 pairing, posting a 21-4, 21-6 straight-set win.
• Newcomer Julia Oravec and senior veteran Kimmy Schnars were the most dominant duo of the day for the Beach Bears, allowing just six total points in the No. 4 pairing 21-4, 21-2 domination.
• The senior combination of Makenna Schmitt and Kelly Douglas posted identical 21-6 frames in their two-set win, completing the sweep.

 
Central Arkansas 5, North Alabama 0
 
UCA carried over the momentum from Hendrix, posting a second consecutive sweep on the afternoon. Unlike the Hendrix match, the Beach Bears battled a little adversity and needed three sets in every pairing to earn the overall victory.
 
Notables
 

• The No. 1 duo of Brinkley and Dear would win the first set 21-14 before suffering the first set loss of the afternoon 19-21. The pair would ultimately earn the point after a closely contested 15-11 victory in set three.
• Sager and Hamilton found themselves trailing after suffering a 15-21 loss in set one. Set two saw the No. 2 duo earn a 21-17 victory before dominating the third set 15-6, securing the point.
• Hasness and Griffith saw a hard fought battle in all three sets, losing set one 17-21, bouncing back and earning a narrow 21-19 win in set two and securing the point for the Beach Bears winning set three 15-10.
• Oravec and Schnars suffered a 18-21 set one defeat, before a thrilling 25-23 win in set two. Set three saw the No. 4 pair take control, winning 15-8.
• Schmitt and Douglas won the first set convincingly 21-14, but suffered a 14-21 loss in set two. The No. 5 pairing would again complete the sweep, winning set three 15-10.

 
 
Head Coach Autumn Erickson Quotes
 
"I am really happy with the way we played today. Throughout the day, we tried to focus on our side of the court and execute our game regardless of the conditions or opponent. We showed a lot of grit and resilience against a very good North Alabama team, taking all five pairs to three sets and coming away with the sweep. I felt like the girls did a great job displaying what UCA Beach Volleyball is really about - hard work and control."
 
Up Next
 
The Beach Bears are right back in action at 9 AM tomorrow morning, beginning with Huntingdon College before taking on Lincoln Memorial University at 12:30 PM.