The Central Arkansas volleyball team is set to compete in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017. On Selection Sunday, it was announced that the Sugar Bears will face the No. 2 seed SMU Mustangs on Friday, December 5th.
Head coach John Newberry expressed enthusiasm about the upcoming match and representing the ASUN Conference. “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,” Newberry said. “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.”
Central Arkansas secured its spot in the tournament by winning the ASUN Championship Final against Eastern Kentucky in four sets, dominating throughout the match.
Key players for Central Arkansas include Laci Bohannan, who was named ASUN Championship MVP and has recorded 372 kills this season; Caylan Koons, who has accumulated 937 assists; and Alexis McDaniel, who leads with 455 digs.
Newberry highlighted how previous challenging matches have prepared his team for high-level competition. “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,” he said. “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 travel to Dallas on Wednesday, December 3rd as they prepare for their first-ever matchup against SMU and their fourth appearance at an NCAA Tournament.
