CONWAY, Ark. – The University of Central Arkansas beach volleyball team will head down to the Magnolia State to participate in the Burg Beach Invitational in Hattiesburg, Mississippi to face some great competition.
The Bears split a pair of games with Stephen F. Austin and Arizona in Nacogdoches, Texas last week before foregoing a final game to head home ahead of weather. The Bears jump to 4-9 on the season and are sort of finding their groove and learning how to play with one another as of late.
The Bears' first opponent will be the host Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles. USM comes into this weekend's action at an even 11-11 with wins over New Orleans and a couple wins over Southeastern Louisiana. The Golden Eagles, like the Bears, have played some tough opponents, like Arizona, TCU, Florida State, Washington, Florida Atlantic, and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The Bears have three prior meetings with the Golden Eagles, all within the last four years, but have dropped the last two.
The Nicholls Colonels have had a bit of a rough go as of recently. They come in at 2-19 and their wins come against LaGrange and Loyola New Orleans on the same weekend. The Colonels have hit a rough patch in their schedule and have dropped 14 straight. The two teams have met twice in the past, with one coming in the 2022 season, a 5-0 win.
The New Orleans Privateers, like Southern Miss, come in at an even 11-11. They have thrice taken down in-state foe Nicholls, and have also dropped a close match with Southern Miss earlier in the year. The Bears have faced UNO nine times dating back to 2018, and have dropped eight in a row, including three in April of 2022. UCA must work back to get a win over UNO.
UCA will take on the host USM Golden Eagles on Friday, March 31st at 10:00 a.m. and then will take on Nicholls at 2:00 p.m. The Bears will conclude day one action with a match against New Orleans at 4:00 p.m. On Saturday, April 1st, the Bears will take on UNO at 9:00 a.m. and USM at 11:00 a.m.
