CONWAY, Ark. – The University of Central Arkansas beach volleyball team is set to host its first regular season home tournament since March of 2022. The Bears enter this weekend's action sitting at a 7-20 record.
Last weekend, UCA headed out to the desert to take part in the Canyon Classic hosted by Grand Canyon. UCA started things off with Ottawa University of Arizona, a team they had never played before. The Bears ultimately split in its two matches with OUAZ, capturing the first meeting to lead off the weekend. UCA was able to win due to a dominant win by Ella Weilert and Liliana Irizary, a solid win by Anna Linskey and Naya Tan, and a win by Madelyn White and Audrey Cathcart to seal the victory when the match was tied at two apiece.
UCA will lead off the weekend with a matchup with the Missouri State Bears, a team they will play twice this tournament. The maroon Bears started the season 10-0, starting with solid wins over UT Martin, Louisiana Monroe, Eastern Illinois, and Southwest Baptist. MSU is currently on a three match winning streak, taking matches from Arizona Christian, Southwest Baptist, and Ottawa University (Kansas), to make their record 18-5 for the year. Missouri State has had several common opponents, taking matches over Hendrix, McNeese State, Texas A&M – Kingsville, ULM, and dropping a match to UTEP. UCA has a 2-0 record all-time against Missouri State, winning in both Conway and Springfield.
Austin Peay is next on the docket for the Bears, a team they have already faced off against this season. The Govs have played to a 6-4 record since the matchup with UCA, taking their season-long record to 12-12 on the season. Austin Peay has solid wins over Jacksonville State, North Alabama, Tennessee Tech, and UT Martin. UCA has much more experience with Austin Peay, as the Bears hold a 5-3 record in the series, including a win earlier this season in Clarksville. The series goes all the way back to 2017, with UCA and APSU playing back-to-back years for the first time since 2019 and 2020.
UCA will lead off the weekend with Missouri State on Friday, April 12th at 12:00 p.m. and then will close Friday's action with Austin Peay at 2:00 p.m. Then on Saturday, April 13th, UCA will take on Missouri State at 10:00 a.m. and then Austin Peay at 12:30 p.m. for senior day, when the Bears will celebrate Payton Sproule, Anna Collums, and Brooke Kuball.
