Privateers Host Central Arkansas in Conference Regular Season Finale

CENTRAL ARKANSAS AT NEW ORLEANS
SATURDAY, NOV. 14 | 12 PM
HUMAN PERFORMANCE CENTER | NEW ORLEANS, LA.

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FIRST SERVE
The New Orleans Privateers (18-14, 7-8) close out their conference slate with a home bout against the Central Arkansas Sugar Bears (15-12, 11-4) on Saturday at the Human Performance Center. First serve is scheduled for 12 p.m.
 
The Privateers are coming off their last match, a road loss at McNeese State in four sets. New Orleans committed 22 attack errors, the most in their last eight matches. Also, New Orleans was held 30 points under their season average in attack percentage. Blessing Dunn (13 kills, 17 digs) and Celeste Ramirez (40 assists, 10 digs) both recorded double-doubles in the loss.
 
New Orleans is currently in a seeding battle for the Southland Tournament. The Privateers are tied for fifth with Houston Baptist. The Huskies own the head-to-head tiebreaker, winning the only meeting between the teams. The Privateers are assured of at least the six-seed in the tournament which starts on Nov. 20.
 
In Coach Millicent Van Norden's second season on the Lakefront, the Privateers are at plus-12 in win differential from 2014. The 12-win improvement is the third largest by a coach in program history, only trailing only Judy Mogabab (+17, 1981) and Ruben Herrera (+15 in 1989).
 
QUICK HITS
-The Privateers are 1-5 all-time against Central Arkansas. On Oct. 1, the Sugar Bears won a 3-1 decision in Conway.
-New Orleans has the third best home record in the Southland this season only behind Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (14-0) and Stephen F. Austin (12-1).
-The Privateers took the second set at McNeese State on Tuesday. This season, New Orleans' highest point differential has come in the second set, where they have cumulatively outscored their opponents by 65 points.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
Central Arkansas comes in after losing a five-set match to Southeastern on Thursday. The Sugar Bears dropped the final set at 16-14. Megan Nash was in on 10 blocks (three solo, seven assist), her highest total of the season. Nash currently leads the conference in blocks per set with 1.31 and has 93 total on the year.
 
Heather Schnars eclipsed the 400-kill mark for the season after her 17-kill performance on Thursday. Schnars leads the team in kills, digs, aces, and hitting percentage. Schnars also has 1,006 attempts this season, 540 more than the next player on the roster (Samantha Anderson).
 
Central Arkansas is also in a battle to try to improve their seeding for the tournament. The Sugar Bears are level with Stephen F. Austin for the second spot at 11-4. Stephen F. Austin's final game will take place on Saturday against Incarnate Word.
 
The Sugar Bears' two-game slide comes after they had won six straight at home. Both of their losses (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Southeastern) have come on the road. This year, Central Arkansas is 6-11 away from Conway.
 
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