VOLLEYBALL
UCA picked second, third in polls
Central Arkansas was picked to finish second in the Southland Conference sports information directors preseason poll and third in the coaches poll, the league office announced Wednesday.
UCA, which finished 20-12 last season, received 118 points from the coaches and 130 from the SIDs. The Bears will be led by first-year coach Jeni Jones, who takes over for David McFatrich. McFatrich left UCA earlier this year to take the head coaching position at Mississippi State.
Stephen F. Austin was picked to win the Southland by the coaches and SIDs, receiving 11 of the 13 first-place votes.
UCA’s Schnars on preseason team
Central Arkansas senior outside hitter Heather Schnars was named preseason first team All-Southland Conference Wednesday.
Schnars, the 2014 Southland player of the year, is a three-time all-conference selection and finished second in league play in kills (277), fifth in hitting percentage (.338) and six in aces per serve (0.41) last season.
Junior middle blocker Fulani Petties also joined Schnars on the first team from the Bears. Petties had 268 kills and 63 blocks for UCA as a sophomore.
GOLF
Arkansas 2nd in Southern Junior Cup
Team Arkansas could not overcome a two-point deficit heading into Wednesday’s singles matches and finished second to Oklahoma at the Southern Junior Cup held at the Jimmie Austin Golf Club in Norman, Okla.
Winning singles matches for Arkansas on Wednesday were Fisher Vollendorf of Fayetteville, Austin Bowen of North Little Rock, Kate Robertson of Rogers, Stephanie Leake of Little Rock, Allie Weiner of Maumelle and Elizabeth Moon of Forrest City. Ryan Spurlock of Maumelle picked up a half-point by halving his match.
Spurlock teamed with Josie Roberson of Maumelle to win a Tuesday morning four-ball match 1-up, then partnered with Robertson to win an afternoon foursome by the same score. Mitchell Ford of Little Rock and Moon won Arkansas’ other fourball point with a 2 and 1 victory.
Gage Parker of El Dorado and Weiner won the state’s first foursome point Tuesday afternoon 3 and 2, followed by victories from Ford and Leake (1-up), Hyunje Lee of North Little Rock and Moon (2 and 1) and Spurlock and Robertson.
Oklahoma won with 16 points. Arkansas followed with 12 1/2, ahead of Mississippi (10) and Missouri (9 1/2).