CONWAY, Ark – The University of Central Arkansas volleyball team will head west to take on the field at the Tulsa Invitational. UCA will lock horns with UT Arlington, Oral Roberts, and Tulsa.
UCA saw some great efforts this past weekend, with senior outside hitter Charleston Tidwell achieving her career high in kills with 19 in Sunday's defeat to Colorado State. Sophomore setter Caylan Koons has three straight matches with 40+ kills, and four on the season, her season total is up to 265 on the young season. Junior outside hitter Lilly Taylor got her career high in kills with 13 in the rivalry match against Little Rock.
The UT Arlington Mavericks are sizzling hot to start the season with a record of 6-0. So far, the Mavs have taken down Bryant, Rhode Island, Air Force, Incarnate Word, Presbyterian, and Louisiana Tech. A player to watch for UTA is senior outside hitter Briana Brown, who leads the team with 73 kills and has tallied 10+ kills in all six matches this season. Right behind Brown is Brianna Ford, who has 72 kills, including an impressive performance against Incarnate Word with 22 kills. The Mavs have a good setter in Mollie Blank, who leads the Mavs' attack with 196 assists. The Sugar Bears have a 4-3 advantage all-time against the Mavericks, including four straight, but the two teams haven't squared off since 2011.
The Oral Roberts Golden Eagles come into this weekend's action at 2-4 with wins over Nicholls State and UC Riverside. Junior outside hitter Trinity Freeman leads the Golden Eagles in kills so far with 68, including 19 in the win against UC Riverside. Senior setter Kalena Vaivai leads ORU in assists so far with 169. Last season, the Sugar Bears took down ORU in four sets. Overall, UCA leads the all-time series 8-2.
The Tulsa Hurricanes come in with a 2-3 record so far this season. Tulsa and UCA have a common opponent in Michigan State, who Tulsa beat in four sets in the Razorback Classic the first weekend of the season. Graduate senior Kayley Cassaday leads the Hurricanes in kills with 79 so far. Senior setter Avery Kalsu leads the team in assists with 130 assists. Junior libero Marta Pecalli leads the Hurricanes with 50 digs. Tulsa leads the all-time series 5-2, including the last meeting in 2021, where Tulsa swept the Sugar Bears in Cape Girardeau, Mo.
The Sugar Bears sit at 2-5 but have a great opportunity to get back in the thick of things with a good weekend against some familiar opponents.
UCA starts things off with UT Arlington on Friday, September 8th at 10:00 a.m. and then later that day the Sugar Bears will take on Oral Roberts at 4:00 p.m. UCA will close things out on Saturday, September 9th against Tulsa at 2:00 p.m. Fans can watch the final game on the Tulsa athletics website and can keep up with all the matches this season on X at @UCAVball.
