CONWAY, Ark. – Central Arkansas has been on a roll as of late, and now they have the chance to take on some excellent talent this weekend as Florida Gulf Coast and Stetson come to the Prince Center. The Sugar Bears will face Florida Gulf Coast on Friday, playing at 6 p.m., before hosting the Hatters on Sunday at 11 a.m.
Last week was not only defined by victories over North Florida and Jacksonville, but more conference accolades as well for the Sugar Bears. Caylan Koons earned ASUN Freshman of the Week for the second consecutive week and was masterful in the win against North Florida. Another freshman, Alexis McDaniel, won her first ASUN award as she was crowned ASUN Defensive Player of the Week. McDaniel tallied a career-high 25 digs against North Florida, and added 21 more against Jacksonville, matching her previous career-high. Elsewhere, Mackenzie Vernon had an incredible effort over the weekend, setting her career-high in kills with 18 against North Florida, and followed it up with 13 kills against Jacksonville the next day. Jamiryana Hall continues to have a great season, as she also put up 18 kills against North Florida last Friday.
Florida Gulf Coast, coached by Matt Botsford, is one of the top teams in the ASUN, and their 13-4 record and 3-1 conference record backs that up. The Eagles have taken down Maryland on the road, and lost games versus Florida and Arkansas, so they have plenty of experience against quality opponents. Like many of UCA's opponents so far, they draw a lot of their production from upperclassmen with a great deal of experience. Last year in UCA's first year in the ASUN, the Eagles took down the Sugar Bears in three sets, so the Sugar Bears are aiming for revenge.
One of the upperclassmen is senior outside hitter Erin Shomaker, who is coming off of an ASUN Player of the Week honor and has 248 kills to date. Another senior outside hitter that is very valuable for the Eagles is Lauren Clark, who has tallied 136 kills on the season. Chelsey Lockley, a fifth-year setter, has eye popping numbers, as she has contributed 636 assists, good for 10.60 assists per set.
The Stetson Hatters, led by head coach Yang Deng, sit at an 11-5 record on the season with a 2-2 conference record. The Hatters and Florida Gulf Coast had their head to head matches postponed due to Hurricane Ian.
Sophomore setter Nyah Molina has been a stronghold for the Hatters this year, contributing 428 assists for Stetson's offense. Defensively, Molina leads the team in digs as well, with 162 and 2.84 per set. Stetson has two players that are neck-and-neck for the lead in kills, with Annabelle Standish pitching in 156 and Elena Djokovic tallying 153.
Central Arkansas will take on Florida Gulf Coast on Friday, October 14th at 6:00 p.m. The Match will be broadcasted on ESPN+. On Sunday, October 16th, the Sugar Bears take on Stetson at 11:00 a.m. You can follow along with every match on Twitter at @ucavball.
