The Sugar Bears will have another uphill climb as they battle top-tier talent at Southeast Missouri State University to finish the non-conference schedule. Their journey for the Invitational will start in Cape Girardeau, Mo. tomorrow at 1 p.m. with Southern Illinois, followed by Tulsa at 4:30 p.m., before rounding it out with the home team, SEMO, Saturday at 2 p.m.
UCA is fresh off a slow start up north in South Dakota as they dropped all three matchups, but growing pains are required, as any young team knows. While the Sugar Bears have been battling, multiple young players have stepped up and shown their stripes as potential weapons for years to come. At the early part of the season, the biggest threats for that title seem to be the pairing of freshmen right-side hitter Mackenzie Vernon and middle blocker Allison Holloway. These athletes have gotten more than their fair share of opportunities as they lead all freshmen with four matches started. It is one thing to be on the court and another thing to be successful at the same time. These players have showcased more than enough success as Vernon is third in kills with 49 and second in blocks with 13. Holloway is right there with her as she is fourth in blocks with 12 and team-leading six service aces.
While these girls are the highest suppliers in the early goings, the other freshmen continue to contribute to every function. Outside hitter Lily Taylor is also towards the top in service aces as she has four on her resume. Defensive specialist Shelbi Owens owns two starts to her name and places third in the dig category, with 30. All of the freshmen have continuously contributed and will be the main difference between success and failure especially heading towards this tough three-match stretch.
Starting off the weekend, the Sugar Bears battle the Salukis of Southern Illinois. Out of all the teams, SIU has the most experience under their belts, as they have played ten total matches (5-5). While their results have been completely split, they pride themselves on a stout defense that holds opponents to a .185 hitting percentage on the season. Leading that counter-attack strategy is defensive specialist Katy Kluge. The senior holds the spot for most digs on the season with 149, with the next closest having 80. The Sugar Bears will need a big day from their offensive front to counter that specified defensive approach. That means junior Alexis Stumbough (60 kills, 2.86 k/set), senior Lexi Miller (62 kills, 3.26 k/set), and graduate student Amari Mitchell (24 kills, 1.14 k/set).
Once the first match ends, the Sugar Bears will have a short break before they come back to battle Tulsa in the afternoon. The Golden Hurricanes come into the weekend with a 3-3 record after dropping three matches against some of the best competition out there (Sam Houston, SFA, and Arkansas). Besides those three matches, Tulsa has been successful as they have various athletes that can impact the match. One athlete to watch is setter Roosa Rautio, as she leads the team with 147 assists. She will be a focal point for the UCA defense as they will have to watch her to see where the attack might be coming. To counter that, the Sugar Bears will employ some of the best defensive weapons, including Libero sophomore Lexie Gregory. Gregory is continuing to get comfortable in her new position and will be crucial to any success UCA has in the future.
Finally, the Sugar Bears will round out the non-conference schedule with the hosting team, SEMO. The Redhawks record-wise is the best team in the Invitational as they host a 6-3 record to start the year. This squad also has a knack for always keeping it close, as their three losses on the season came all in the fifth set. That is evident because they have a nearly even hitting percentage with opponents as it is .189 to .146. Once again, it will be the setter that will be highly impactful as Claire Ochs is tied with the Salukis setter for the 11th most assists in the NCAA with 380.
Quote from head coach John Newberry:
"I think for us if we put our complete package together, we can go 3-0, but if we play as a younger team, we could go 0-3 again. We are excited to go there and compete and get another chance to improve."
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September 16, 2021 at 10:40PM
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SUGAR BEARS FINISH UP NONCONFERENCE SCHEDULE WITH REDHAWKS INVITATIONAL - University of Central Arkansas Athletics - UCA Sports
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