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Beach Bears drop ASUN Championship opener to ranked North Florida
No. 7-seeded UCA Beach Bears couldn’t slow down No. 18 North Florida in the ASUN Championship opener.
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — It was a tough Wednesday afternoon in Alabama for the Central Arkansas beach volleyball team.
The No. 7-seeded Bears walked onto the sand against No. 2-seeded and No. 18-ranked North Florida in the opening round of the 2026 ASUN Beach Volleyball Championship and walked off on the wrong side of a 5-0 final.
North Florida came in as one of the top programs in the ASUN, and the Ospreys wasted no time proving it. They grabbed early momentum and never let go, building on their advantage as the match moved through the lineup.
The action started on Court 3, where sophomores Ella Layzell and freshman Brooke Sharp squared off against North Florida’s Samantha Crosby and Persley Murray.
The Bears held their own in the early going, but North Florida’s depth showed up quickly. The Ospreys then added wins on Courts 5 and 4 to put the dual firmly in their favor.
UCA didn’t quit, though. The Bears kept competing across every court as the match played out. One of the brighter moments came on Court 2, where senior Madelyn White and junior Chandler Lawrence put together a solid effort against their Osprey counterparts.
On Court 1, seniors Natalie Blum and Anna Linskey wrapped up the dual for the Bears, going up against a nationally ranked North Florida pair. The two fought through straight sets before the match was sealed.
Despite the shutout, the Bears showed they weren’t ready to pack it in. Court by court, they competed hard against a program ranked in the top 25 of college beach volleyball.
What’s Next for the Bears
The loss doesn’t end UCA’s tournament run — it shifts it. The Bears move into the elimination bracket and get another shot on Thursday.
They’re set to face Eastern Kentucky at 2 p.m. in Huntsville. It’s a win-or-go-home moment, and the Bears know it.
For a squad that entered the ASUN Championship as the No. 7 seed, getting into the elimination bracket against a program like EKU is a chance to keep the season alive one more day.
The Bears’ experience across the lineup, including senior leadership from Linskey, White, and Blum, gives them a foundation to build on when they take the court against the Colonels.
The 2026 ASUN Beach Volleyball Championship continues to play out in Huntsville, with UCA’s Thursday match serving as one of several elimination-round contests on the schedule.
