The University of Arkansas - Fort Smith volleyball team posted its ninth 30-win season in school history last fall during its NCAA Division II debut, and head coach Jane Sargent again his high expectations.
The Lady Lions began laying the groundwork for what they expect to be another successful season at 8 o’clock on Monday morning at the Stubblefield Center with the first session of two-a-day preseason workouts. They will continue two-a-day practices for the remainder of the week.
“It was a good start. We did get a couple of sprained ankles this morning, which wasn’t too good, but we hope those are just minor,” Sargent said. “Everybody came back in very good shape, and everybody made their mile times.”
Sargent, who is the only head coach in the program’s 13-year history, said all 16 players on the Lady Lions roster reported for practice, including all three international players. It is a veteran roster with only two incoming freshmen.
“It’s so different than before when we were a junior college. We had such a big turnover with eight or nine new kids. Now, it’s really two or three new kids at the most,” said Sargent, who boasts a 432-89 win-loss record at the collegiate level.
“We just put them at the back of the line, and the juniors and seniors just take over. They just run through the practices. Sometimes I feel like there isn’t as much teaching as in the past because they are so familiar with the drills and pick up on it so quickly. I have to find new ways to challenge them.”
The Lady Lions posted a stellar 32-4 win-loss record this past season with their only losses coming against Drury University, Truman State University, Southeastern Oklahoma State University and the University of the Incarnate Word. The loss to Incarnate Word, which snapped the Lady Lions’ season-best 17-match winning streak, was UA Fort Smith’s only loss of its limited nine-match Heartland Conference schedule.
UA Fort Smith will once again compete as a provisional member of Division II, which means it will not be eligible to compete for regular-season championships or qualify for postseason play.
Still, the Lady Lions will play a complete 14-match Heartland Conference schedule as part of their 32-match regular-season schedule, which includes three invitational tournaments that will feature several nationally-ranked opponents.
St. Edward’s University is the preseason favorite to win the Heartland Conference, receiving six first-place votes from the league’s coaches and sports information directors. Dallas Baptist is picked to finish second, receiving three first-place votes, while the University of Texas of the Permian Basin is picked to finish third, receiving one first-place vote.
Newman University is picked fourth, followed by St. Mary’s University, Texas A&M International University and Oklahoma Panhandle State.
“The tournaments that we are in we play a lot of teams in the Top 25,” Sargent said. “It is definitely the toughest schedule we have had in our short history in NCAA Division II.”
UA Fort Smith will host an intrasquad scrimmage at 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 30 at the Stubblefield Center that will be free and open to the public. The Lady Lions will open regular-season play on Sept. 3 against the University of Minnesota-Duluth and Emporia State University during the opening day of the University of Nebraska-Omaha Showcase.
