CONWAY, Ark. – The Central Arkansas Sugar Bears volleyball team has a golden opportunity in the ASUN this weekend, with an opportunity to move into first place with a pair of wins at home this weekend. UCA will take on Queens and Liberty at the Prince Center, facing the Royals on Friday at 6 p.m. and the Flames on Sunday at 11 a.m.
The Sugar Bears are coming off of an incredible weekend that saw them clinch a spot in the ASUN Championship for the first time with two wins over North Alabama, including a five-set thriller last Sunday. While the Sugar Bears came home empty-handed when it came to ASUN Conference awards, sophomore Mackenzie Vernon set her personal-best in kills with 23 on Sunday.
Queens, joining the ASUN this season from the Division II ranks, come into Friday's game with a 6-19 record, and a 1-11 ASUN mark on the season. The Royals have dropped four games in a row coming into Friday's action, with their lone ASUN victory being a five-set win over Jacksonville on Sept. 15. The Sugar Bears and Royals have never squared off before, so this week's action will certainly be a unique opportunity.
The majority of Queens' kills come from sophomore Alleigh Johnson, who has tallied 283 kills on the year, good for 3.33 kills per set. Their second most comes from another sophomore in Jordyn Johnson, who has tallied 155 kills at the outside hitter position. Johnson also helps out defensively, as she is second on the team with 233 digs. Queens loves to run its offense through their sophomore setter Kendall Buish who has put up 467 assists to this point, and averages 6.06 assists per set.
The Liberty Flames sit atop the ASUN conference with a 10-2 ASUN record. The Flames are out to a 17-7 record this year under head coach Trevor Johnson. Liberty won the only matchup ever between the two squads last year, winning in three sets in a neutral site affair in Jacksonville, Fla.
The Flames have four players with over 240 kills on their roster, with Trinity Watts, Kate Phillips, Kamryn Bacus, and Lydia Burts all contributing for the Flames. Watts leads Liberty this year with 291 kills, and is averaging 3.20 kills per set. Delaney Dilfer leads the conference in assists per set with 11.01, and has an impressive 1,024 assists on the year.
Central Arkansas takes on Queens on Friday, November 4th at 6:00 p.m. and then will take on Liberty on Sunday, November 6th at 11 a.m. Both games will be broadcasted on ESPN+ and as always, you can follow along with the action all season long on Twitter at @ucavball.
