CONWAY, Ark. - The University of Central Arkansas is set for a rematch as they prepare for the first round of the Southland Tournament against Abilene Christian.

The Bears head into the conference tournament as they hope to defend their 2019 championship as they start against the Wildcats tomorrow at 10 a.m. 

UCA comes into the tournament as the defending champions as the 2020 tournament was canceled. Due to that fact, they will have a target on their back as they come in as one of the best teams in SLC. They will take on ACU to begin this affair, as it will be a three seed versus a six seed. These two teams faced each other to finish out the regular season for the Bears as UCA claimed a shortened match 4-0. It will be a revenge game for the Wildcats and, in turn, will make it an intriguing matchup to open up the tournament. 

In the first leg of the matchup, the Bears had four key players that solidified the victory. Those players include the duo of sophomore's Chunxi Xin and Fuka Nonoyama and the team of freshmen Maja Gledic and Jaeun Lee. Both teams dominated and got the early lead in what would be a crucial turning point. In singles play, Xin, Nonoyama and Lee all claimed their points quickly, even with a rain delay staggering their efforts. Those four will be key players to watch, especially on doubles, because both teams were honored on the All-SLC doubles team list. Two other players that were not mentioned previously were junior Yada Vasupongchai and Sumomo Hamanaga. These players were also honored by the conference and will make a lasting impact on the match as they were well on their way to a victory before the rain finished it. 

The Wildcats did not get as much love on the conference list but still got one deserving nomination. The No. 1 team of Nini Memishishi and Illeana Mocciola claimed third-team honors after going 6-1 for the season. Their lone loss of the season came at the hands of UCA's Xin and Nonoyama in the last matchup of the season. This will once again be a solid match as they kick off the morning session. Another player to watch will be sophomore Allison Stewart as she finished out her season 7-2 in SLC play. Stewart can play various positions as she has successful experience in the No. 3, 4 and 5 spot. 

This first-round matchup will take place at 10 a.m. tomorrow in Beaumont, Texas' Municipal Tennis Center.