CONWAY, Ark. – The University of Central Arkansas beach volleyball team is set to head down to Clarksville, Tennessee to take part in the Stacheville Beach Bash. UCA will take on some familiar foes this weekend, as it looks to improve upon its 3-13 record.
UCA continued to compete last weekend, however they only got one win to show from it. UCA split with Tusculum in Conway, South Carolina last time out, earning their first ever win against Tusculum, returning the favor from last year.
The Bears' first opponent this season also has a win over Tusculum this season, in the Austin Peay Governors. The Govs are sitting at 6-7 this season with wins over Morehead State, Liberty, Jacksonville State, and Carson-Newman. While APSU started out the year on a hot streak, they have currently lost three matches in a row to North Alabama, Chattanooga, and UT-Martin. UCA is no stranger to playing Austin Peay, as the Bears have a 4-3 advantage in the all-time series. However, unfortunately for the Beach Bears, Austin Peay has taken three straight matches, including a 3-2 win last year in Clarksville.
UCA will then play Eastern Kentucky, and the Colonels have a similar schedule makeup as the Bears' previous opponent. EKU started the season with wins over Liberty, Morehead State, Tusculum, and Austin Peay. The Colonels have hit a bit of a snag lately though, losing five out of their last six with a 5-0 win over Tennessee Tech. The Bears and Colonels have never squared off, so this weekend will be a great opportunity to face a conference opponent for the first time.
UCA's final opponent on the weekend will be the North Alabama Lions, who are off to a scorching 12-4 start to the season. The Lions opened the season with wins over SLU, New Orleans, and Oregon, before losing to a very solid Tulane team. Since then, the Lions have taken matches over Nebraska, Houston Christian, Jacksonville State, Austin Peay, Charleston, and Jacksonville. UCA has played UNA quite consistently as of recent, although they did not play in 2023. The Beach Bears own a 6-2 lead in the series, including four wins in the spring of 2021, but the Lions took both matches in 2022.
UCA is slated to take on Austin Peay in Clarksville, Tennessee on Friday, March 22nd at 11:00 a.m. and then Eastern Kentucky at 1:30 p.m. Then UCA will cap things off on Saturday, March 23rd against North Alabama at 10:00 a.m. To keep up with all things Beach Bears, follow @UCABeachVB on Twitter/X.
