CONWAY, Ark. – The Central Arkansas volleyball team is back at the Prince Center for a rematch of last season's ASUN Tournament Championship against Eastern Kentucky on Thursday at 6 p.m. The Sugar Bears enter the home opener looking to get into the win column this season and earn a victory in the first United Athletic Conference match in program history.
Central Arkansas (0-10) competed in the Kwik Star Klassic in Iowa last weekend with matches against Texas Tech, West Florida and Iowa. The Sugar Bears went 0-3 on the weekend with tight battles against the Red Raiders and the Argonauts.
Ella Chaney was named to the All-Tournament Team for her performance on the weekend, recording a double-double against Texas Tech with a career high 14 kills, and 12 digs. Chaney notched 33 kills on the weekend, hitting .360, with 26 total digs, six blocks, and two aces.
Sarah Carnathan leads the Sugar Bears in kills with 58, averaging 1.93 kills per set. Chaney is just behind, averaging 2.08 per set for a total of 52.
McKinzee Haas comes in with 49 kills, 2.04 per set, and hitting .261.
Sophie Skinner leads with 153 assists, ranking fourth in the UAC with 6.65 per set. Skinner set a new career high against Texas Tech with 46 assists in the match.
Defensively,
Karlyn Frazier and
Greyson Button lead the blocking efforts with 24 blocks apiece, while Haas has 20. All three find their way on the top-10 list in the UAC for blocks per set with Button averaging 1.09 in fourth place, Frazier tallying 0.96 in seventh and Haas ranking 10
th with 0.83.
Eastern Kentucky enters the match with a 10-2 record, riding a five-match win streak. The Colonels earned wins in three matches over the weekend over Presbyterian College, Tennessee Tech, and Appalachian State.
Two EKU players have earned conference weekly honors so far this season with Emille Hill earning UAC Player of the Week three out of the first four weeks of the season. Cooper Abney and Hill were honored with Setter Pair of the Week twice this season.
First serve will be at 6 p.m. on Thursday, and the match will be streamed on ESPN+, with live stats available online.
