CONWAY, Ark. – The University of Central Arkansas beach volleyball team is preparing to take a trip down to the Yellowhammer State to take place at the Blazer Beach Bash in Birmingham, Alabama. UCA will face the likes of UAB, Southern Miss, and Tulane.
UCA dropped three matches last weekend in Monroe, Louisiana, but did take down crosstown foe, Hendrix in a sweep. UCA now stands at 7-15, despite playing much better together the past few weekends.
Right out of the gate, UCA will have a chance to exact some revenge. The Bears dropped two 4-1 decisions to the Southern Miss Golden Eagles two weekends ago in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Anna Collums and Naya Tan won a match for the Bears in the first contest, while Kayla Cook and Katie Atkinson took a match from USM in the second meeting. While it's not a rubber match, UCA will have a chance to get on the board this year with Southern Miss. The Bears are currently on a five-game losing streak to the Golden Eagles, with their last win coming in 2019.
No. 17 Tulane comes to Birmingham with an impressive 16-8 record on the season. Perhaps more impressive is the resume the Green Wave have built, with ranked wins over No. 13 Washington, No. 12 Stetson, and No. 19 South Carolina. UCA has never beaten Tulane in four tries, so this should be a golden opportunity for the Bears to get a win over the Green Wave for the first time.
UCA gets its second chance at redemption against the host UAB Blazers. UAB took down UCA 4-1 twice early in the season. Ryenne Gepford and Bria Garmon took a match from the Blazers in the most recent matchup, while Charlie Tidwell and Madelyn White won in the first matchup. UAB has won all four matches all time including the prior two matches this season.
UCA will take on Southern Miss Saturday, April 15th at 8:00 a.m., then will take on Tulane at 10:00 a.m., and will cap off a full day of action with UAB at 4:00 p.m. Then on Sunday, April 16th, UCA will take on Tulane again at 10:00 a.m.
