Author: Philip Seaton

SAU announces Basketball Signing Class

August 29, 2019

By SOUTHERN ARKANSAS SPORTS INFORMATION

Andy Sharpe
Southern Arkansas coach Andy Sharpe. Photo by SAU Sports Information

MAGNOLIA – Coming on the heels of an NCAA Era-best record in the program’s 24-year Division II membership, Southern Arkansas University Head Men’s Basketball Coach Andy Sharpe has announced the signing of eight student-athletes for the upcoming 2019-2020 season.

“A lot of credit goes to former associate head coach, David Anderson, for putting together this class,” noted Sharpe. He added “We worked tirelessly to continue to sign quality, local high school student-athletes in our geographic region who will represent our program the right way, embrace our culture, and continue to advance our program to state, conference, and national relevance.”  

Eight new recruits, seven true freshman and one transfer, reported to campus earlier this month. “We’ve completely sold out to staying young and continuing to build our program with high school guys that will be in our program for 4-5 years,” noted Sharpe. 

The seven true freshmen include two Arkansans in Logan Bradley (Booneville) and Connor Harvey (Mena), two Louisianans in Jessie Davis, Jr. and Deven Melancon from Shreveport, two Texans in Dodge Brown (Commerce) and Josh Ukpe (Bonham), and finally Zak-Blue Shagouire with the longest commute of 4,500 miles from East London, England.  Dru Smith of state Fair Community College joins the program as the only transfer after two successful years as a roadrunner. 

The eight newcomers will join six letter winners with First Team All-GAC selection Devante Brooks leading the charge.  Also retuning is speedy point guard Aaron Lucas, sharp-shooting guard Gabe Gilliam, former Magnolia Panther and Mulerider defensive stopper Trey Davis, GAC Freshmen of the Year Jalen Brooks, and finally back in the fold is a healthy Charlie Thomas. “Those six guys will be looked to by our staff to provide incredible leadership as expectations for our program continue to rise on a yearly basis.  They’ve all played some huge roles for us previously as freshmen and sophomores and now it is their team and I’m excited to see how they move us forward”, commented Sharpe. 

Three red-shirt freshmen will also make their debuts this season in point guard Ray Fresh, shooting guard Kam Roelke, and swingman Trent Ivy.  “I am excited to see Kam, Ray, and Trent be activated after a very rewarding and beneficial red-shirt season”, remarked, Sharpe.  “All three of those guys approached their redshirt year the right way and all three have grown tremendously and are ready to compete for roles this coming season”, continued, Sharpe. 

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Zakeus-Blue Shagourie – Forward, 6’8
Hometown / Previous School: East London, England / Sunlive Basketball Academy
Notable Stats: 7ppg/11rpg/ 2bpg

Accomplishments: 
– Two time selection to Loul Deng UK Top 50 Camp
– Selected to Pau Gasol Rising Star Camp in Barcelona, Spain
– 2018 National Basketball Cup Winner
– Selected to HOOPSFIX.com All Star Classic

Coach Sharpe on Shagourie: “Zak is our first international recruit in my seven years at SAU.  I’ve gotten to know Zak’s coach, Josh Merrington, over the years who is now at Sunlive Academy in Portugal and through his work with the British National Team and he highly recommended Zak as a long, active, athletic forward who is ready to play immediately.  Losing Wes Nosakhare to graduation will give Zak the opportunity to come in and compete for a major role in our rotation.  Zak has played at a high level internationally for several years highlighted by an appearance in the invitation-only 24 man HOOPSFIX All Star Classic.  I’m excited Zak is a Mulerider and looking forward to getting him on the floor!”

Josh Upke

Josh Ukpe – Guard, 6’2
Hometown / Previous School: Bonham, TX / Bonham High School
Notable Stats: 29 ppg / 8 rpg during the 2019-2019 season

Accomplishments: 
– TABC All-Region Class 3A Region 2 Selection
– District 10 – 3A MVP
– All Texomaland  – 2nd Team Selection
– Led the 18-19 Bonham Warriors to a program best 26-7 record
– Recorded most points in a single season in Bonham history with 902.    

Coach Sharpe on Ukpe: “Josh is a guy we have really high hopes for.  He had a highly decorated career at Bonham where they had a ton of success largely due to Josh and his ability to score the ball.  Josh is an athletic playmaker and has shown he’s a potent scorer at the high school level.  I’m excited to see Josh continue to grow here at SAU.  Like with any freshmen, he’s going to experience some growing pains, but Josh has unlimited potential and we are excited to see him take some big strides in the weight room.  We feel in our strength and conditioning program we can help take Josh to another level.  I’m really excited to see Josh blossom here at SAU. 

Logan Bradley

Logan Bradley – Forward, 6’8
Hometown / Previous School: Booneville, AR / Booneville High School
Notable Stats: 14.2 ppg / 6.9 rpg / 3.6 bpg during the 2018-2019 season

Accomplishments: 
– 3 Year Starter and Co-Captain as a SR for the 29-4 Booneville Bearcats
– 2nd All Time Leading Scorer and Rebounder in Booneville High history
– Back to Back All-Conference selection
– Selected to 2019 All-State and All-State Tournament team
– Honor graduate and National Beta Club Member

Coach Sharpe on Bradley: “Logan was an early signee and we are excited to get him plugged into our program.  Logan is a big-bodied forward with an unexpected shooting stroke to the 3pt line.  Logan will be really good in pick & pop actions with his ability to shoot the ball.  There are not many true freshmen that are able to physically play right away in our league, so we are also excited to get Logan into our strength and conditioning program and see him make the jump from high school to our physical style of play.” 

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Connor Harvey – Guard, 6’1
Hometown / Previous School: Mena, AR / Mena High School
Notable Stats: 23.6 ppg / 2.6 apg / 5.2 rpg during the 2018-2019 season

Accomplishments: 
– Three time All-Conference selection
– Two time All-State honoree  
– Polk County Player of the Year
– Selected to 42 Sports Super Team
– Tallied 1,427 career points while sinking 114 three pointers his SR season at 41%

Coach Sharpe on Harvey: “Connor is a guy I think we were fortunate to snag.  There is such a premium put on being able to extend the defense and efficiently knock down three pointers and Connor does that very, very well.  Any time a guy can make over 40% of his three point attempts at the volume Connor was getting is impressive.  When we signed Connor he said he’d like to know the all-time marks for three pointers made in a season, a career, and three point percentage that those were marks he planned on taking aim at over the course of his career.  I think Connor is going to make a run at some of those records for one simple reason, he’s a gym rat and he’s going to put in the time.  We are excited to have Connor in the fold at SAU!”

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Dodge Brown – Guard, 6′
Hometown / Previous School: Commerce, TX / Commerce High School
Notable Stats: 22 ppg / 6 apg during the 2018-2019 season

Accomplishments: 
– Texas 3A State Player of the Year
– Back to Back All State Selection
– Back to Back District MVP
– Selected to TABC All Star Game
– Tallied 2,349 career points while sinking 364 career three pointers  

Coach Sharpe on Brown: “Dodge the epitome of what we are looking for in a recruit.  His high school accolades speak for themselves … he was the Texas 3A State Player of the Year, scored over 2,000 career points, and the list goes on and on, but it’s the other stuff that really drew me to Dodge.  He is a gym rat … played for his dad, Roger Brown at Commerce, he graduated with a 3.97 GPA, was the student body president at Commerce High, and is going to start day one here at SAU with a ton of college credit already under his belt.  Dodge is self-made and a high achiever and we are excited he is a Mulerider!”

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Dru Smith – Guard, 6’3
Hometown / Previous School: Kansas City, MO / State Fair Community College
Notable Stats: 11.5 ppg / 2.8 apg / 3.5 rpg during the 2018-2019 season

Accomplishments: 
– Career 10.1 ppg scorer at State Fair Community College                                                             
– Broke the 20 point plateau three times over the course of the 2018-2019 season
– Scored a season high 21 points against nationally ranked Northwest FL on 8-14 shooting         
– State Fair Community College 3rd leading scorer
– State Fair Community College team leader in three point makes and percentage

Coach Sharpe on Smith: “Dru is our only transfer.  We felt like we have a great core of guys returning to the program that have played big roles over the past couple years and some guys coming up that red-shirted last year that will also be pushing for meaningful roles and while we do plan on sustaining our success, the next couple years are big for our program.  We feel like Dru gives us another older guy that can play multiple positions, has the ability to shoot the three and plays extremely hard.  He played for a very well-respected program at State Fair and we feel Dru will fit in well with our culture and how we expect to do things.  I’m excited to throw Dru in mix and create even more competition than we currently have … it should make for some intense workouts and practices.”

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Jessie Davis, Jr.  – Forward, 6’7
Hometown / Previous School: Shreveport, LA / Red River High School
Notable Stats: 18ppg / 11 rpg / 5 bpg during the 2018-2019 season

Accomplishments: 
– Three time First Team All-District Selection 
– 2nd Team All Area and Honorable Mention All-State as a JR
– 2nd Team All Area and 2nd Team All-State Selection as a SR
– Louisiana High School Athletic Association All Star Selection – Slam Dunk Champion

Coach Sharpe on Davis: “Jessie is a guy we targeted early last summer and have built a fantastic relationship with over the past year.  Jessie is a rugged post player and is physically ready to play and we are expecting him to step in and contribute immediately.  As strong as Jessie is, he is also that athletic and has the ability to be an immediate impact guy defensively with his ability to block and alter shots. 

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Deven Melancon – Guard, 6’4
Hometown / Previous School: Shreveport, LA / Loyola Prep
Notable Stats: 20 ppg / 5 rpg during the 2018-2019 season

Accomplishments: 
– 1st Team All-District
– 1st Team All-City
– Honorable Mention All-State
– Selected to the I-20 Classic All Star Game

Coach Sharpe on Deven: “One of the areas we really wanted to focus in on with this class is targeting guys with high skill levels, particularly shooting the ball.  We got a taste of how hard it is to score when you are limited in your team’s ability to shoot the three many times last year.  If you look back to our hot start last year, we were really shooting the three ball well and at a 40% clip as a team.  We were really difficult to guard when we spread the floor out and could keep teams honest.  Deven gives us another guy that can really shoot it.  I told him on his visit that I can hear the sound his ball makes when it goes through the net and it is an unmistakable sound of a dead three shooter as we call them.  Deven is one of those guys when he lets it go, you think it’s going in no matter where he shoots it from.  Deven will also really benefit from structured strength program and we are excited to watch him continue to get better and better!”

UAFS Cross Country Teams enter Season with High Hopes

August 31, 2019

By UAFS SPORTS INFORMATION

FORT SMITH – Mason Rhodes, the head coach of the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith men’s and women’s cross country teams, has plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the 2019 season; 14 of them to be exact.

“We’ve added 11 freshmen and three transfers to our squads,” said Rhodes. “We wanted to grow both the size and scope of talent on our teams, which is exactly what we’ve done. I’m excited about this year’s recruiting class.”

Now in his second year of leading the Lion’s programs, Rhodes said he was looking for a particular quality in this year’s class of recruits.

“I wanted kids who aren’t afraid to challenge themselves in the classroom and on the course,” said Rhodes. “Our student-athletes are fierce competitors, but they’re also focused on earning a degree. What they learn in this program and at this university will allow them to be successful in the professional world.”

This new class of recruits joins a talented group of returners on both squads.

“On the women’s side, we’re looking for big things from senior Kandace Young,” said Rhodes. “She broke our school record last year by running an 18:36 at the 5k distance. Her goal this year is to drop that even lower. We only have three returners on our men’s side: Will Phillips, Oliver Perez and James Glidewell. All three are coming off a very strong showing in the spring and are focused on ending their running careers on a high note.”

The experience of the returning Lions will be especially important with the university’s switch to the Lone Star Conference.

“The Lone Star is very similar to the Heartland Conference in regards to cross country,” said Rhodes. “Although we didn’t show as well as we wanted in 2018, I think we’ll be competitive this year. We have a strong core of returners. With the addition of our new talent, we may surprise some people as to how good we can be.”

The UAFS Lions will start the season by hosting the UAFS Invitational Sept. 7 at the site of the former First Tee of Fort Smith, 6100 Golf Course Loop. This will be only the second time UAFS has hosted a cross country meet.

“We’re partnering with the Fort Smith School District to build a running course at that site,” said Rhodes. “It will serve both the university and school districts. The UAFS meets will begin that morning with the women’s competition at 8 a.m. Our men will compete immediately afterwards and be followed by both high school and junior high races. If you love cross country, this is the meet for you.”

A complete UAFS cross country schedule and roster is available at uafslions.com. 

OBU Ranked Fifth in AFCA DII Coaches’ Top 25

August 28, 2019

By OBU SPORTS INFORMATION

ARKADELPHIA – The Ouachita Tigers Football are ranked fifth in American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II Coaches’ Top 25 to start the season.

The Tigers earn the ranking after going 12-1 last season which included making it to the NCAA Division II Playoff semifinals. The Tigers also were the number one rated defense in 2018 during the regular season returning many starters this season.

Ouachita is one of two Great American Conference teams selected to the Top 25. The other team chosen is 18th ranked Harding University, who the Tigers face week one in the NCAA Division II Showcase on the ESPN App.

Ranked first in the polls is reigning Division II National Champions, Valdosta State. After them are the runner ups for the National Championship, Ferris State, who defeated Ouachita in the semifinals last season. The Tigers then trail Minnesota State and Notre Dame (Ohio) rounding out the top five.

Ouachita starts their season on Thursday, Sept. 5 at 7:05 at Cliff Harris Stadium.

Golden Suns picked to Win Sixth Straight Title

August 29, 2019

By ARKANSAS TECH SPORTS INFORMATION

RUSSELLVILLE – Arkansas Tech has been voted the favorite to win the 2019 GAC Women’s Golf Championship, the league announced on Thursday through the preseason coaches’ poll.

The Golden Suns have won the previous five conference championships, the most recent with a come-from-behind win over Southwestern Oklahoma State. Allie Weiner used a career-best 67 in Round 3 to earn the first place individual finish. Jacqueline Klemm, WGCA National Freshman of the year and GAC Freshman of the Year tied for third place with GAC Women’s Golfer of the Year, Peerada Piddon. Pia Nunbhakdi and Sydney Staton finished in ties for fifth and seventh place, respectively.

Tech took second at the NCAA Central Region Championships in their seventh consecutive appearance at the tournament. Piddon won the individual title with her total card of 216. Klemm finished fourth and Nunbhakdi tied for ninth. The team advanced to the NCAA Division II National Championships for the fifth time in six years and concluded their season with a 10th-place finish.

The 2019-2020 Golden Suns return seven golfers from last year’s roster, including Klemm, Weiner and Staton. Klemm is the first golfer in program history to receive WGCA Division II Freshman of the Year after averaging 74.77 strokes and notching four top 10 finishes in her first season as Golden Sun.  She was named a Division II All-America Honorable Mention and All-Central Region Team by the Women’s Golf Coaches Association. 

Weiner, Staton Makenzie Douglas were named WGCA All-American Scholars. Staton was also named to the All-Central Region Team and All-GAC Second Team.

Six-time GAC Coach of The Year and reigning Division II Golf Pride Central Region Coach of the Year Amy Anderson also welcomes two newcomers to the team, Patranit Chuaychoo from Thailand and Josie Roberson from Maumelle.

The Golden Suns open the 2019-20 season on Sept 23 with the two day Dallas Baptist Invitational at the Robson Ranch Golf Club in Denton, Texas.

Wonder Boys picked First in GAC Preseason Coaches’ Poll

August 29, 2019

By ARKANSAS TECH SPORTS INFORMATION

RUSSELLVILLE – Arkansas Tech men’s golf has been unanimously voted as the favorite to win the Great American Conference in the Preseason Coaches’ Poll, the league announced Monday. The Wonder Boys garnered 81 points, along with 9 first place votes. Henderson State came in second with 66 and Southern Arkansas at third with 65 points and one first place vote.

The 2018-19 Wonder Boys advanced to the NCAA Championship quarterfinal for the third consecutive year after capturing their second GAC Championship and finishing fourth at the Midwest/Central Region Championships. 

Arkansas Tech returns all five golfers that played in NCAA National Championships last season, including two Division II PING All-American honorable mention selections, Austin Gean and Shawn Tsai.  Gean averaged a team best 73.13 strokes last season and finished in the top-10 of two tournaments. Tsai averaged 73.50 and earned four top 10 finishes.

Four-time GAC Coach of the Year Luke Calcatera also welcomes back Andre Jacobs, the GAC individual medalist and his brother Francois, who took third. Gean and Tsai finished inside the top-11 at the NCAA Championships. Jackson Marseilles, who won GAC Freshman of the Year in the 2017-2018 season, also returns for the 2019-2020 season.

Arkansas Tech opens the 2019-2020 season in Tahlequah, Okla., as the Wonder Boys compete in the two-day Northeastern State Classic at the Muskogee Golf Club on Monday, Sept. 16.

Former Golden Lion takes step to making NFL Roster

August 29, 2019

By UAPB SPORTS INFORMATION

PINE BLUFF – Former University of Arkansas At Pine Bluff football star Terron Armstead and the key starters for the New Orleans Saints had the night off, while Jamie Gillan took another step toward making the Cleveland Browns’ roster on the final night of the NFL Preseason schedule.

Armstead, Drew Brees and other top players did not play in the Saints’ 16-13 home loss to Miami. New Orleans opens the season on Monday, Sept. 9 hosting Houston.

Gillan handled all punting duties for the second straight game, averaging 44.3 yards on six punts, including a 50-yard punt and one downed inside the 20. Gillan also continued to display his all-around skill with two special teams tackles while also serving as the holder on all four scoring kicks in the Browns’ 20-16 win over Detroit.

Gillan had punts of 38, 42, and 48 yards in the first quarter, as he made the tackle on his punt of the opening stanza.  Gillan had a 45-yard punt in the second quarter, a 43-yard punt in the third quarter, and a 50-yard punt in the fourth quarter.

Following a safety, Gillan booted the free kick 67 yards and also made the tackle on the return.

In four preseason games, Gillan averaged 46.6 yards on 17 punts, with an NFL-long of 74 yards with six downed inside the 20.

Gillan will learn his status soon as final cuts of the NFL Preseason must be made by 3 p.m. CT on Saturday.

UAPB opens season at TCU

August 31, 2019

By UAPB SPORTS INFORMATION

FORT WORTH – The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff football team as the Golden Lions will play at TCU Saturday.

HOW TO WATCH, LISTEN, ATTEND:

The Golden Lions held their final walkthrough Friday morning and will now finalize preparations through meetings and rest prior to kickoff.

“I think the guys are really focused,” said UAPB head coach Cedric Thomas. “In looking at them based on the walkthrough and the pertinent information in I’s being dotting and t’s being crossed, they have a good wherewithal of what this high-powered team is going to give them. We’ll just continue to iron out the small details between now and Saturday night.”

Both teams are coming in off winning finishes to the 2018 season. UAPB won in the Lone Star State with a 15-10 at Texas Southern on November 17. TCU won its final two games to earn a bowl bid and ended 2018 on a three-game win streak with an overtime victory in the Cheez-It-Bowl on December 26.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve hit someone else other than ourselves and get the chance to compete against another opponent,” Thomas said. “Competitors love to compete, and Saturday presents another opportunity to do so. For these seniors, we’re on this countdown to their journey be done as college players. We’re going to celebrate each gameday opportunity and it starts in a couple of hours.”

SEASON TICKETS STILL ON SALE FOR UAPB HOME GAMES: Season tickets for the six-game Golden Lion home football schedule are on sale o Season tickets are on sale now for the six-game home schedule. General admission tickets can be purchased online at uapblionsroar.com/tickets starting at only $60.

Reserved chairback and benchback seats, as well as the five-game family pack and first responders’ discounts can be purchased in person at the UAPB ticket office at Simmons Bank Field Monday – Thursday from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. – 5 p.m.; Friday 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. 

Single game tickets go on sale Monday, Sept. 9.

For more information, call 870-575-8601 or email Brenda Jones at [email protected].

UAPB drops Pair of Matches

August 30, 2019

By UAPB SPORTS INFORMATION

NEW ORLEANS – The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff volleyball team dropped a pair of matches on the first day of the UNO Invitational, hosted by the University of New Orleans Friday at the Human Performance Center. UAPB fell to Louisiana- Monroe 3-0 and to North Dakota 3-1 in the night cap.

ULM 3 UAPB 0 

The Lady Lions went toe to toe in the first two sets with Louisiana-Monroe but fell 21-25, 22-25, 19-25 in game one. The Lady Warhawks pulled away late, taking the third set in a hard-fought match by the Lady Lions. Junior Kaila Robinson and freshman Reagin Williams lead the way with seven kills apiece. Freshman Elyssa Kennedy had a game-high 15 assists, followed by Robinson with a team-high 10 digs.

“I think the girls did well against ULM,” said first-year UAPB head coach Chelsey Lucas. “Our ultimate goal is every time we touch the floor, we compete at a higher level. Something that we talk about all the time is we want to be known as a deep volleyball team, and what it’s going to take is work on the smaller things.”

North Dakota 3  UAPB 1 

The Lady Lions stormed out in game two against the Fighting Hawks by taking the first set 25-23 but fell short in the final three sets 19-25, 20-25, 16-25. 

Freshman Zyaire Garrit led the frontline for the Lady Lions with nine kills, followed by sophomore Haley Gomez with eight. Junior Delilah Cardenas made a solid contribution with 15 digs, followed by senior Micayala Pope with 19 assists and nine digs in the match.

“North Dakota was definitely longer and in some sets were a little more skill in certain areas,” said Lucas. “I felt at some point the team was making good strives to compete to win.”

UAPB Cross Country impresses in First Meet

August 30, 2019

By UAPB SPORTS INFORMATION

Clinton, Miss. – The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff men’s and women’s cross country teams competed at the Mississippi College Opener on Friday evening at the Choctaw Trails.

The men’s squad had an impressive showing capturing first place overall, despite the humid conditions in their first race of the season. The Golden Lions conquered the challenging 5K with a strong returning unit from the 2018 team.

UAPB men’s earned a total of 48 points in the meet with their top five runners finished in the top 25.  Sophomore Toshin Agbede led the way for UAPB finishing third overall with a time of 16:29.58.  Senior Laurel Heath placed sixth with a time of 16:48.07, followed by Romario Marshall placing 20th with a time of 17:38.44, twin brother Akeem Marshall placed 22nd with a time of 17:45.82, and senior D’Andre Mighty rounding out the top 25 with a time of 17:52.9. 

Agbede was also named MVP of the cross country meet.  

On the women’s side, the Lady Lions finished seventh overall as a team with a total of 171 points in the 4K.  Senior Camiya Knight crossed the finish line for UAPB placing 25th overall with a time of 17:48.15 followed by senior Ciara Thuston in 34th with a time of 18:17.42.

UAPB will be back in action on Saturday, Sept. 7, as they travel to Conway to compete in the UCA Cross Country Challenge.

Sugar Bears take Two Narrow Wins at Georgetown Classic

August 30, 2019

By UCA SPORTS INFORMATION

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Central Arkansas Sugar Bears narrowly escaped day one of the Georgetown Classic as they defeated the Rider Broncs and Central Connecticut State Blue Devils in five-set thrillers. The Sugar Bears overcame early adversity in both matches, erasing 1-0 deficits in route to the wins.

UCA 3, BRONCS 2 

Sophomores Lexi Miller and Madi Bowles led the Sugar Bears attack against the Broncs, finishing with 15 and 11 kills. In her first career collegiate match, 5’11 freshman Alexis Stumbough provided an instant boost off the bench with 9 kills on a .400 hitting percentage. The well-proven setter duo of junior Bailey Waddington and senior Elizabeth Armstrong combined for 45 assists while senior Rayna Jefferis and junior libero Emily Doss combined for 26 digs.

SET 1 – The Sugar Bears gained their biggest lead of the set at 11-8 after a service ace and kill from senior Abbie Harry sparked a 5-0 run. The Broncs responded by taking full control of the set as they reached 25 on a 17-7 run.

SET 2 – The second set was essentially a flip of the first as Central Arkansas took control following a competitive start. After a Broncs kill made it 6-6, the Sugar Bears scored five straight and never looked back. Miller recorded two of her set-high six kills in the spurt and the team finished with a set-high 16 kills in route to a 25-16 win.

SET 3 – The third set started in a battle as four ties occurred within the first eight points. The next 16 points would be a trio of runs as Rider and Central Arkansas continued to claw at each other. After a quick 4-0 Sugar Bear run cut the deficit to 11-9, the Broncs responded with five of the next six points to make it 16-10 and eventually cruised to a 25-20 win.

SET 4 – With their backs against the wall, the Sugar Bears came out focused and secured an early 7-1 lead off back-to-back Stumbough service aces. The Broncs would pull within five off a kill and Sugar Bear error to make it 15-10, but Central Arkansas eventually closed them off with six straight points to win 25-15. Stumbough recorded two kills in the last four points to continue her strong morning.

SET 5 – The Broncs started the last set with an early 2-0 lead before the Sugar Bears took the next six points to create the breathing room needed to take the match. After a Central Arkansas service error pulled Rider within two, a pair of kills from Miller and junior Amari Mitchell solidified the win. The Sugar Bears recorded an impressive 10 kills in the last set.

UCA 3, BLUE DEVILS 2

The Sugar Bears attack was on full display against the Blue Devils as they recorded 68 kills. Stumbough continued her impressive day with a team-high 15 kills and 14 digs. Redshirt-junior Ravin Rhodes, Bowles and Harry also contributed with 10+ kills apiece. Waddington and Armstrong made passing look easy as they combined for 65 assists on the night while Doss led the team in digs with 23.

SET 1 – The first set saw four ties within the first 14 points as both sides started strong. After a Bowles kill gave the Sugar Bears a 13-11 lead, the Blue Devils scored the next four and never trailed again. An Armstrong kill pulled Central Arkansas within three at 23-20, but Central Connecticut scored two of the next three to win 25-21.

SET 2 — The Sugar Bears capitalized on two straight Blue Devil attack errors and took an early 3-0 lead. The set was decided when the Sugar Bears turned their narrow 9-7 lead into a comfortable 17-9 advantage. Errors haunted the Blue Devils again as they converted five of them during the spurt. Bowles and Stumbough led the Central Arkansas attack in the set with four kills apiece.

SET 3 – The third set was about Central Arkansas runs and kills as they recorded two separate five-point streaks and a set-high 17 kills. After a Blue Devil kill brought them within two at 12-10, the Sugar Bears responded with five unanswered points and three kills to position them nicely at 17-10. The Blue Devils would later respond with a 4-0 spurt to pull within one at 21-20, but a pair of kills from Stumbough would help push Central Arkansas to a 25-22 win.

SET 4 – The Blue Devils saw their best performance at the net in the fourth set as they recorded a set-high 17 kills to help stay alive. Trailing 24-20, the Sugar Bears attempted to rally as they strung together back-to-back kills from Harry and Mitchell. The rally fell short soon after though as a service error gave the Blue Devils point 25.

SET 5 – Like the fifth set against the Riders, the Sugar Bears took early control of the set with a commanding 7-0 lead. The Blue Devils kept their heads high and scrapped together three straight to make it 10-6, but they would not get closer than four as a Stumbough kill slammed the door shut on the Blue Devils. For the second straight match, Central Arkansas recorded 10 kills in the fifth set and was led by Stumbough and Bowles.

ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH JOHN NEWBERRY ON DAY ONE

“The first day of the tournament went just as we expected it to. Both teams were big and physical but played completely different styles of volleyball. The sets that we lost were based solely on our lack of execution with passing and a few mental errors. The sets that we won were fun and the team was able to get on several point runs.

We had some major bright spots with all of our positions at some point of the game. Several of our players had double digit kills which helped us have a well-balanced offense that is difficult to read.

We are excited for the next day. Competition is going to be a very strong challenge for us.”

UP NEXT

The Sugar Bears will wrap up tournament play tomorrow with a doubleheader against the Sacred Heart Pioneers and host Georgetown Hoyas. The first match against the Pioneers is set to begin at noon.