JACKSONVILLE, Ala. - Central Arkansas volleyball dropped their inaugural match in the ASUN as they fought hard in the 3-1 defeat.

The Sugar Bears (2-8, ASUN 0-1) could not finish their formidable opponent in the first leg of the ASUN season as they dropped the inaugural match to North Florida (12-1, ASUN 1-0). UCA had multiple athletes that showcased how tough the Sugar Bears will be in the ASUN as they hung with one of the best in the conference. Both junior Alexis Stumbough and sophomore Anna Myers posted double-doubles in this close contest. Stumbough gathered a team-high 16 kills with 11 digs, while Myers had 30 assists and 14 digs. While these two led the squad, graduate student Amari Mitchell had a career night as she posted four total blocks, as two of them were solo blocks. Those blocks pushed her to sole possession of tenth place in UCA history for solo blocks in a career (54). Sophomore Lexie Gregory was tied with Myers for the team lead in digs with 14.

Set 1:
UCA came out with a force not yet seen this season, as everything seemed to click in the first set. The Sugar Bears forced a timeout early for UNF as UCA led 13-7 after a kill from Stumbough, a service ace from freshman Lily Taylor and a block from Mitchell and senior Madi Bowles. This carried over for a while as the Ospreys called another timeout when the Sugar Bears claimed an 18-8 lead. That lead only continued as UCA eventually won the set 25-14 after hitting a total of .316.

Set 2:
The Sugar Bears got the ball rolling early once again as freshman Lily Taylor helped start it 3-0 with two straight service aces after the first point. That would be a focal point, as UNF would catch up, and they would play a game of back and forth from there. UCA would go up 11-9 after a kill from Bowles, but that was their last point before they lost the lead. UNF used a 12-1 run to outpace the Sugar Bears and eventually claim the set overall 25-19.

Set 3:
With all the momentum on the Ospreys side, the Sugar Bears pushed forward and neutralized that early on. For the most part, that was the case as UCA contained UNF and got up with them throughout the entirety of the set. The most exciting part of the set came towards the back half as the Sugar Bears nearly cleared the gap to take control. The Ospreys were forced to take a timeout with the score leading 22-20, as UCA scored three straight points to decrease UNF's lead. However, the Ospreys momentum carried them over the hump as they grabbed it 25-23. 

Set 4:
The final set was mostly UNF as they finished out their 3-0 set stretch. They took the lead in the front stages of the set and held on for the entirety as UCA never was able to gain the lead for themselves. The Sugar Bears implemented a small charge in the middle of the set when they scored three straight at 18-10 to 18-13, but it was never enough as the Ospreys continued their success until they claimed it 25-16. 

Quote from head coach John Newberry:
"I'm really proud of the way we battled. I thought the team really showed some growth that our staff has been asking for this week." 

"I thought Anna Myers had an incredible day with her double-double. She displayed a lot of confidence on the court today. Stumbough also had a great game with her double-double as well. She was challenged to get more kills and came through with 16 for the match."