CONWAY, Ark.: After showing off their skills on the road, the University of Central Arkansas volleyball team gets the chance to come home as they host two pivotal conference matchups this week.
The Sugar Bears (3-3) start their descent into the home section of their play as they host UIW tomorrow and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Saturday.
It is the beginning of a new portion of play for UCA as they get the chance to host a conference team for the first time since last fall. The Sugar Bears were able to have one lone home match this past fall as they bested ULM 3-1. With this being an old normality revived, the Sugar Bears hope to draw excitement from the crowd and the players to continue their momentum.
UCA starts off their two-game home stint with a matchup against the UIW Cardinals tomorrow night. To this point, the Cardinals have struggled to finish off matches as they are 0-4 and have fallen in five-set matches three of the four times. UIW is hoping to build off last year's rough season as they finished last in the Southland Conference with a 3-13 record in conference and 7-23 overall. However, it will be hard to take anything from the Sugar Bears as they are 7-1 all-time versus the Cardinals, with the last matchup ending 3-0 in favor of UCA. The lone loss came back in 2016 when UIW defeated the Sugar Bears in the Prince Center 3-1.
The TAMCC matchup is a different animal and one to mark for any UCA fan. This match is the ultimate revenge game in layman's terms, as the Islanders sent the Sugar Bears packing early in the Southland Conference Volleyball Tournament last season. The Islanders are 3-1 thus far in the season, with their lone loss coming from the preseason No. 1 team in the conference, Stephen F. Austin. This matchup is primed to be a crucial point in the season as TAMCC was picked at the No. 3 position in the preseason conference poll. The Islanders are led by their defense as sophomore Libro Carissa Barnes and middle blocker junior Rachel Young were both selected to the preseason All-Conference First Team. This matchup will be even as it comes, so in the end, the winner will be decided by who wants it more.
The UIW match is set for tomorrow at 6 p.m., while the TAMCC match is being held at noon on Saturday, with both games taking place at the Farris Center.
