DELAND, Fla. – Stetson Volleyball will go on its longest road trip of the year, flying to Florence, Alabama to face North Alabama Friday and closing out the weekend in Conway, Arkansas with Central Arkansas across the court. UNA will have a live stream and Stats, UCA will only have live stats during play.
 
"Our focus is still trying to build our confidence and to continue to grow as a team," head coach Yang Deng said, "Even with the loss to Lipscomb, it was a great, well-played match, we just didn't finish the game when we had the chance. It was a great learning experience for our girls. I think that's what we need to treasure more than thinking about the loss. We gained a lot of experience by playing two five set games. Our focus is on our side of the net and continuing gathering knowledge during those critical situations. This weekend we do have tough travels, but we need to stay focused on ourselves."
 
The first stop for the Hatters is UNA. The Lions boast one of the ASUN's best overall records at 12-6 entering the weekend but four of the six losses have been to conference foes. Similar to SU, North Alabama split two five-set matches this past weekend defeating Jacksonville but falling to North Florida. Another factor to watch is home court advantage. The Lions boast a 5-1 home record this season with the lone loss coming in five sets to Bellarmine.
 
The Lions also have one of the best defenses in the ASUN, with a conference-leading 16.48 digs per set. UNA sits in the top half of the ASUN with 2.06 blocks per set. In individual categories, the Lions have a balanced attacked with five players registering two kills per set or more. The squad rotates setters with Elif Ozsoy taking the lion share with 38 sets played and 340 of the squad's 743 assists. Mattrice Harris [.99] and Maggie Sullivan [.93] are averaging nearly a block per set.
 
The Hatters close out the weekend with 12-7 Central Arkansas. The Bears have been good in ASUN play [4-2] and better at home [4-1] on the year. UCA has won five straight, dating back to a five-set loss at Kennesaw State on September 24.  The win streak has included four ASUN opponents with Little Rock being the out of conference match. Foes have been able to compete with the Bears over the stretch as the only team swept was Bellarmine, every other opponent took one set with the exception of North Florida which took two.
 
UCA has been all over the weekly ASUN awards and has been honored five times with Caylan Koons winning three awards, freshman of the week twice and setter of the week, Alexis Stumbough taking player of the week on October 3 and Alexis McDaniel taking Defensive Player of the week this week [October 10]. The Bears have been a balanced team five players averaging over two kills per set, and April Conant averaging four kills per set, but with only three played on the season. Koons has recorded 520 of the teams 864 assists entering the weekend. UCA does not block a lot of attacks [13th in the ASUN] but is sixth in digs. Four regular Bears players are above two digs per set with a fifth, Lexie Gregory, just under two at 1.95.
 
About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program is driven by a shared purpose. It is what inspires, motivates and binds us together. More than a task, a reason for being. THE HATTER PURPOSE is to create and provide an experience of a lifetime through teamwork and relationships to achieve excellence. This purpose is achieved through five Core Values: Communication, Integrity, Excellence, Value People and Commitment. To learn more about the HATS program and our Core Values, visit GoHatters.com/HATS. Get in on the conversation on social media by following Stetson Athletics on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. For video content, visit our YouTube channels: Stetson Hatters, Stetson Athletics and, for live events, Hatter Vision.