CONWAY, Ark. – The University of Central Arkansas volleyball team is gearing up to open its home ASUN slate with Lipscomb and Austin Peay this weekend.
The Sugar Bears dropped their ASUN opener at North Alabama but rebounded nicely the next day to sweep Mississippi Valley State and Arkansas-Pine Bluff to improve their record to 6-7 on the season. Sophomore setter Caylan Koons earned the second ASUN Setter of the Week award of her career. Koons tallied 117 assists over the weekend to bring her total to 486, the most in the conference so far. Allison Holloway led the way offensively for the Sugar Bears in Florence, totaling 31 kills throughout the weekend.
UCA will first welcome the Lipscomb Bisons to the Prince Center on Friday evening. The Bisons sit at 5-5 after non-conference action, with notable wins against Kansas State, Belmont, and Abeline Christian. The Bison played some tough competition in the non-conference slate, with losses to No. 5 Nebraska, Mississippi State, and Ole Miss. The Bisons' leader in kills is sophomore outside hitter Jada DiVita, who has 105 kills on the season, including 22 kills in a win over UT Martin. Sophomore setter Sophia Hudepohl leads Lipscomb in assists with 334 on the year, including 55 in the win over Kansas State and 54 in the loss to Ole Miss. Lipscomb took both matches from UCA last season, including the first round of the ASUN Tournament. Lipscomb also has the lead in the series overall, winning four of five matches all-time.
The Austin Peay Governors come into Conway at 7-6 on the season and boast wins over UAB, Saint Louis, and Louisiana-Monroe. A player to watch for the Govs is grad senior right-side hitter, Mikayla Powell, who leads the team in kills with 197 kills, including a season-high 30 kills against ULM. Austin Peay's leader in assists is grad senior Kelsey Mead, who has 433 on the season, which is second in the conference, behind Caylan Koons. This weekend will be the third all-time matchup between the Govs and Sugar Bears, with UCA leading the series 2-0, including a win on senior day last season.
UCA hosts Lipscomb on Friday, September 22nd at 6:00 p.m. and then will face Austin Peay on Sunday, September 24th at 2:00 p.m. Both matches will be broadcasted on ESPN+ and as always, fans can keep up with the matches on Twitter/X at @UCAVball.
