CONWAY, Ark. – Knowing they were in when they tuned in, the Central Arkansas volleyball team watched Selection Sunday to find out where they were playing in their first NCAA Tournament game since 2017. Shortly after, the Sugar Bears were named as the opponent of the No. 2 Seed SMU Mustangs, with a match set for Friday, December 5^th.
 
"We're so excited to be representing the ASUN Conference in our fourth NCAA Tournament appearance, and first with the ASUN. We're excited to be traveling somewhere relatively close to home, so we'll be able to travel well, a lot of fans and families will be able to fill a section of Purple," Head coach John Newberry said after Selection Sunday. "We're excited to play SMU. They're obviously one of the top teams in the country, so we'll have to make sure we have a really good game plan and execute well."
 
The Sugar Bears earned the automatic bid for the ASUN after defeating Eastern Kentucky in the ASUN Championship Final, breezing to a four-set win that saw Central Arkansas dominate in every category.
 
Central Arkansas will lean on its senior class, as it has all season. With Laci Bohannan, the ASUN Championship MVP, leading the attack with 372 kills, the Sugar Bears will continue to lean on her hitting ability against the Mustangs. Caylan Koons, tallying 937 assists so far this year, and Alexis McDaniel, who leads the team with 455 digs, will be key pieces as well as the Sugar Bears will look to give SMU a run for its money.
 
"Playing tough teams in non-conference already prepares us for what we're about to see in a physical sense. If we can keep our intentions focused and our emotions composed, I think we can fare well against a really good team," Newberry added. "Taking Texas A&M to five sets, two physical matches against Oklahoma, those type of matches give us great confidence in what we can do. And then to battle through the ASUN Tournament, fighting through a reverse sweep and staying locked in to close it out, we have a lot of confidence walking into the NCAA Tournament."
 
The Sugar Bears will depart for Dallas on Wednesday, December 3^rd to face SMU for the first time in program history, and compete in its fourth-ever NCAA Tournament.