CONWAY, Ark. – The University of Central Arkansas beach volleyball program is set to head down to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to take on some more talented programs to start the year.
The Beach Bears got off to somewhat of a tough start, dropping each of their four matchups to HCU, TCU, LSU, and Washington. Audrey Cathcart and Madelyn White took a set from HCU, the lone doubles match win on the weekend for the Bears.
UCA starts things off this weekend with the Tulane Green Wave. Tulane started the year 5-0 with wins over Southeastern Louisiana, Oregon, Stephen F. Austin, North Alabama, and Spring Hill College, all in relatively dominant fashion. While the Green Wave did not appear in this week's top 20, they were one of the teams receiving votes, so Tulane is one of the most highly regarded programs in the nation to this point in the year. Tulane is 6-0 all-time against the Bears, including two wins last season in Birmingham.
The Bears then take on Texas A&M – Corpus Christi, another team that got off to a good start in 2024. The Islanders went 3-1 last weekend in Lake Charles, Louisiana, beating Nicholls, McNeese, and Tarleton State, and ultimately losing to No. 20 Cal Poly. UCA won the first three matchups in 2017 and 2018, but the Islanders have since won four matches in a row, including a 5-0 decision last season in Houston. The Bears will look to even up the all-time series this weekend.
The Nebraska Cornhuskers come into this weekend with a 6-0 record after sweeping their home event last weekend. However, the Huskers seemingly have not faced the same caliber teams that the rest of the field has this weekend. Nebraska has beaten McKendree, Park, Ottawa, Wayne State, and Southwest Baptist. UCA will be the penultimate matchup for the Huskers this weekend, so UCA should get to face Nebraska after they have already faced No. 7 LSU. The Beach Bears and Huskers have never met on the court, so this will be a great opportunity for UCA to face Nebraska for the very first time.
UCA caps off the weekend against Southern Miss, a team that UCA has seen a lot of recently. The Golden Eagles started the year off with a 2-2 weekend, dropping a match to No. 16 Stetson, narrowly losing to Florida Gulf Coast, and beating both Mercer and Eckerd. UCA saw Southern Miss thrice last season, winning the final matchup in Birmingham. Overall, Southern Miss leads the series 4-2 as the Bears look to claw a bit closer this weekend.
UCA is scheduled to play Tulane on Saturday, March 2nd at 10:00 a.m. and then Texas A&M – Corpus Christi at 5:00 p.m. Then on Sunday, March 3rd, the Bears will play Nebraska at 10:00 a.m. and then cap things off with Southern Miss at 3:00 p.m. To keep up with all things Beach Bears, follow along on Twitter/X at @UCABeachVB.
