CONWAY, Ark. – The University of Central Arkansas beach volleyball team is set to kick off its fall schedule this weekend against Louisiana-Monroe. The rest of the fall schedule includes a trip to Huntsville for a massive invitational and a home tournament in November.
The match against Louisiana-Monroe is a great opportunity for the players to focus on personal development ahead of a spring schedule that is mainly focused on competition. It also allows the Bears to square off with teams they may not normally face in the spring season, and in this case it's the Warhawks from a neighboring state.
Next, in late October, the Bears will travel to Huntsville, Ala. to take part in the 2023 AVCA Collegiate Beach Central Zone Qualifier. This is a tremendous opportunity for UCA to potentially qualify for the AVCA Pairs National championship a week later in Huntsville. This invitational allows UCA to compete against some great teams across the south like Georgia State, LSU, Tulane, UAB, North Alabama, South Carolina, and several other talented teams that UCA may not get to see in the spring season.
The final test in the fall will be a home tournament on November 11th against Missouri State and Hendrix. This last event in the fall will allow the Bears to see how the fall season has gone and will allow UCA to take on a cross-town opponent as well.
Assistant coach Erin Martin on the Fall slate: "This fall is crucial in our development as a program. It will give our team the chance to establish our culture when it comes to competing against other opponents. It will also give us some insight on new areas for development, and the ability to showcase our program to the public. We encourage as much support as possible when we are able to finally compete at home on November 11th! I can't wait to show our supporters just how hard our team has been working. I'm thrilled by the amount of growth we have had so far! I know we will continue to build upward on a great foundation."
UCA starts its fall schedule against Louisiana Monroe on Saturday, September 30th, then the Bears will wait nearly a month before their next event in Huntsville, Ala. on Saturday, October 28th and Sunday, October 29th. The Bears will wrap up fall action with the first home action since this past March, with an invitational with Missouri State and Hendrix.
