Central Arkansas is set to begin its NCAA Tournament campaign with a first-round match against #2 seed SMU on Friday, December 5, at 6:30 PM in Dallas, Texas. The game will follow the earlier contest between #7 Rice and Florida.
The Sugar Bears enter the tournament with an 18–11 record and are currently on a five-match winning streak. Their conference record stands at 12–4. Central Arkansas has shown consistency throughout the season, performing well both at home (7–5), on the road (8–4), and at neutral sites (3–2).
SMU comes into the matchup as one of the top teams in the country, holding a 25–5 overall record and riding a nine-match win streak. The Mustangs have been particularly strong at home with a 13–1 record and finished their conference schedule at 17–3.
Key players for Central Arkansas include Laci Bohannan with 372 kills and Gabby Tuiaana with 293 kills. Other contributors are Cousins (192 kills), Haas (170), and Button (131). Setter Caylan Koons leads the offense with 937 assists.
For SMU, Malaya Jones leads with 479 kills, followed by Jadyn Livings (293) and Favor Anyanwu (185). Averi Carlson, who has recorded 1,268 assists this season, runs their offense.
Both teams bring momentum into this match—SMU benefits from depth and home-court advantage while Central Arkansas relies on balanced offense and strong defense. The Sugar Bears aim to challenge SMU by pressuring from the service line, slowing down SMU’s quick tempo at the net, relying on back-row defense led by McDaniel, letting Bohannan and Tuiaana drive the attack, and maintaining composure during extended rallies.
“With the NCAA spotlight shining bright, the Sugar Bears have a chance to make a statement on the national stage.”
