CONWAY, Ark. – The University of Central Arkansas beach volleyball team is set to head down to Florida to take part in the ASUN tournament this week. The Bears finished the regular season two weekends ago with their first home matches in over two years. UCA comes into this week with an 8-23 record, matching the win total from the 2023 team.
The Bears lost three of four at home, taking down Austin Peay for the second time this season in the only win. UCA was able to properly honor three seniors who have been excellent for the Bears, who have been through a lot of transitions over the four years. Brooke Kuball, Anna Collums, and Payton Sproule were honored after the matches in front of family, friends, and teammates, celebrated for their work on and off the courts.
UCA will lead things off down in DeLand, Florida with the host, the Stetson Hatters. In 2023, the Hatters were crowned champions of the ASUN for the seventh time in program history, and now with the dance on their court, they'll look to repeat. Stetson has followed up its 2023 with an impressive 2024, boasting a 19-10 record to date.
The Hatters led off the season with a perfect 4-0 weekend which included wins over Mercer, Southern Miss, and Florida Gulf Coast. Through the next few weekends, Stetson picked up wins over Tampa, Louisiana Monroe, and Santa Clara. Through 10 home matches this season, Stetson has won nine of those matches, with key wins over Jacksonville, North Alabama, UNC Wilmington, and Florida Atlantic and the lone loss was the most recent match, a loss to the No. 1 seed in the ASUN tournament, the North Florida Ospreys. The Bears have only faced Stetson once all-time, a 5-0 loss last season in the ASUN tournament in Jacksonville. UCA will look to settle the score in the series and extend their season on Wednesday.
If the Beach Bears manage to knock off two-seeded Stetson, the Bears will play the winner of Florida Gulf Coast and Jacksonville on Thursday, April 25th at 10:00 a.m. If the Bears cannot win, UCA will go to the losers bracket to play the loser of the FGCU and JU match on Thursday, April 25th at 2:00 p.m.
UCA will take on Stetson on Wednesday, April 24th at 12:00 p.m. in DeLand, Florida.
