CONWAY, Ark. - The University of Central Arkansas volleyball program gets the chance to start their season in stride as they host the UCA Invitational to begin the 2021 season.
The Sugar Bears are prepared to get a heap of experience from three tough opponents starting tomorrow as they host Little Rock (Thursday, 6 p.m.), Missouri State (Friday, 6:30 p.m.) and Memphis (Saturday, 3 p.m.) at the Prince Center.
Starting their unique season, they will have Little Rock in the latest edition of the Governor's I-40 Showdown (UCA currently leads 3-0 in all sports). The Trojans last faced the Sugar Bears in 2019 as Little Rock won the bout 3-1. Over time those results have faded as the two teams will square up with an almost entirely different roster. That pays dividends for the Trojans as they are on a steady incline as they are currently 3-0 this season, with a victory coming against the University of Arkansas. In this brief stint of games, the Trojans are led by senior Laura Jansen, who leads their team in total points (47) and kills (41).
UCA will have a chance to counter Little Rock's stellar offense from the middle as fifth-year
Amari Mitchell anchors them. Last year Mitchell led the Sugar Bears in total blocks as she boasted 64, ten more than anyone else on the squad.
Following the lone matchup on Thursday will be an array of three matches starting at 11 a.m. Beginning the trio will be Missouri State vs. Memphis followed by Memphis vs. Little Rock at 4 p.m. and then UCA vs. Missouri State at 6:30 p.m. Unlike the Trojans, the Bears and Sugar Bears squared off more recently as UCA traveled to MSU last season. The Bears claimed the matchup last year 3-1, as MSU grew their all-time lead to 2-0.
MSU currently is 2-1 on the season as their lone loss came at the hands of the Wichita State Shockers. The Bears are led by senior Amelia Flynn, who claims their team lead in points (42.5) and kills (39). Like the Trojans, MSU will be a tough team as they are known for their offensive capabilities. UCA will need help from their defensive weapons to contain the Bears in this Day 2 match. This will include a big day from the Sugar Bears new starting Libro sophomore
Lexie Gregory. Gregory posted 111 digs in 46 sets played in 2020-21.
Finishing out the weekend will be two games as Little Rock faces Missouri State to start the Invitational Day 3 at noon. Following that, the Sugar Bears will take on Memphis at 3 p.m., in the last matchup of the invitational. This series is a little more lopsided as UCA currently holds a 4-0 all-time lead, with the previous match happening in 2018. Memphis, similar to Little Rock, enters into the tournament with a perfect record (3-0) as they have won all three matches in three straight sets. The Tigers are highlighted by their defensive prowess as they are outhitting their opponents .310 to .177. In this young season, they already host four players with over 20 digs, including sophomore Bailey Houlihan, who leads the team with 36.
The offense will be the key to success to counteract Memphis, as the outside hitters will be highly impactful in the final results. Leading the charge in that front will be junior
Alexis Stumbough. She is one of the captains of this Sugar Bears lineup and will affect all sorts of play this year. Last year Stumbough posted 127 kills in 69 sets played.
For any updates regarding this invitational, make sure to follow @ucavball on Twitter and UCA Volleyball on all other social media outlets.
Quote from head coach John Newberry:
"Having Little Rock, Memphis and Missouri State, we always going to be close rivals with them, and it will be big," Newberry said. "For us to beat all three of them is going to bring a lot of momentum and confidence for the season."
