With the summer break in full swing, University of Central Arkansas Head Volleyball Coach Jeni Jones Chatman has announced the 2019 schedule that features three prominent non-conference tournaments, a rugged Southland slate and a chance to capture the conference crown in front of the UCA faithful.

CAPITAL GAINS

The Sugar Bears will start the season in unique fashion as they head to the nation’s Capital to take part in the Georgetown Tournament on Aug. 30-31. The two-day stay in Washington, D.C., includes contests against Rider, Central Connecticut State, Sacred Heart and host-Georgetown. Central Arkansas has never faced any of the four opponents scheduled and hopes to get off to a strong start in the Capital City.

“K” STATE OF MIND

After a brief rest, the Sugar Bears will head north to battle it out in the K-State Invitational. UCA will open the event on Sept. 5 with a match against Nebraska-Omaha, another first-time opponent. Central Arkansas will then duel against back-to-back “Power 5” foes in Clemson (Sept. 6) and Kansas State (Sept. 7) to conclude its stay in Manhattan, Kan. 

MAKING A STATEMENT

One of the most anticipated matches on the 2019 schedule will be the home opener against Ole Miss on Sept. 13. In just the second-ever meeting between the two programs and first in Conway, the Sugar Bears will look to build some momentum with a significant win over the SEC foe. The very next day, UCA will return to the Farris Center to take on Oral Roberts in the first of two matches.

UCA will conclude the non-conference portion of its schedule with the opening leg of the annual “Governor’s I-40 Showdown” when the team travels to Little Rock to take on the Trojans following the ORU match on Sept. 14.

“I really like our 2019 non-conference schedule,” said Chatman. “We are getting to play some teams that we have never played before and we are playing some pretty challenging matches as well. We feel this non-conference schedule will be a good spring board into our tough conference schedule. It should be another exciting year of UCA Volleyball!”

FAMILIAR FACES

After boasting a stellar 14-2 record in Southland Conference play a season ago, the Sugar Bears will look to continue their successes against their regional-rivals. UCA will open up the SLC slate with back-to-back home matches in the Prince Center against Houston Baptist (Sept. 26) and Sam Houston State (Sept. 28).

The first conference road trip of the year sends UCA down to San Antonio to take on Incarnate Word on Oct. 3. The trip continues with a match against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Oct. 5. The Sugar Bears return to Conway for an Oct. 8 matchup with McNeese before heading to The Big Easy to square off with New Orleans Oct. 12.

Three of the next four matches will take place in the Prince Center for Central Arkansas as they welcome Northwestern State, Oct. 15. Beaumont, Texas, will be the next stop on the schedule when UCA travels to Lamar Oct. 17. 

The defending Southland Conference champions, and the only SLC team to beat the Sugar Bears last season, Stephen F. Austin will have to play in front of the raucous Conway crowd on Oct. 24. UCA will conclude the homestand with an Oct. 26 matchup with Abilene Christian.

Central Arkansas will be away from home for the next four matches, including stops at Nicholls on Halloween Night and Southeastern Louisiana on Nov. 2. A rematch with Houston Baptist (Nov. 7) and Sam Houston State (Nov. 9) closes out the road schedule for the season.

The final weekend of the regular season takes place in Conway as the Sugar Bears host Incarnate Word (Nov. 14) and the Islanders (Nov. 16) in the Prince Center.

As the host of the 2019 Southland Conference Tournament, UCA will welcome the top-eight teams in the Southland Nov. 21-24 in a three-day tournament to see who will represent the conference in the NCAA Championship. 

FOLLOW THE SUGAR BEARS

You can catch up with all the latest UCA Volleyball information by following the program on Twitter and Instagram @ucavball.