CONWAY, Ark. - Central Arkansas volleyball enters into the season's final week as they are set to host two West Division rivals tomorrow and Sunday.
The Sugar Bears fell just short of the ASUN berth last week and now look to give their seniors a proper goodbye as they battle the No. 1 team in the west Jacksonville State and another outlier team North Alabama.
UCA has had its ups and lows this season, and now it is time to celebrate the hard work they threw out on the court this weekend with a final home stretch and senior day on Sunday. The two seniors that will be honored for their year in and year out success for the Sugar Bears are
Lexi Miller and
Madi Bowles. These athletes have played a massive part in continuing the traditions of what it takes to be successful while dawning the Purple and Gray. While they will be missed next year, they play an essential role in finishing out strong, as they are two players who have to be watched. Miller, this season is currently second in kills and points as she hosts 168 kills and 188.5 points. Bowles has also been utilized as an offensive threat as she has 51 kills and 66.5 points. Both players also had established roles on defense as Miller posted 39 blocks with 41 digs, while Bowles had 23 blocks and 60 digs.
These players will be missed, but they still have work to do, and to get it done, they will utilize the current streak of freshman success.
Mackenzie Vernon,
Allison Holloway, and
Shelbi Owens stand tall as the movement's leaders in that wave of success. Each one of these leaders has taken a different faction of the game and made it their own in the last two matches. Vernon has posted the offensive numbers with 31 kills, Holloway has commanded the net with 15 blocks and Owens has utilized the back row for defense with 30 digs. This trio of youth has become a staple of success for UCA in the last couple of matches and will play a massive part for the Sugar Bears in these next two matches and beyond.
Overall with all of these factors playing in, UCA hopes to overcome the previous results to win the final two matches. The Sugar Bears battled both of these squads on the road earlier in the season, and it did not go their way. The Gamecocks took the initial match 3-0, while the Lions bested the Sugar Bears 3-1. These final two matchups will take place this weekend as UCA first takes on JSU at 6:30 p.m. Friday and then UNA at 2 p.m. Sunday in the Prince Center. Both matches will have live stats and live-streaming options, and follow us on social media @ucavball for news and updates.
