Twin sisters Katy Beth and Meredith Carlson signed with the Lady Lions after stellar senior seasons at Greenwood (Ark.) High School.

“We are very excited about Katy Beth and Meredith Carlson joining our team next fall,” said Sargent, who started the UA Fort Smith volleyball program in 1998. “It was definitely a wonderful achievement to be able to sign them both.”

Katy Beth Carlson, a 5-foot-11 outside hitter, led the Lady Bulldogs in kills (448) and kills per game (4.4) and was second in kill percentage (47.1). She was fourth in blocks (32) and digs (124).

She earned All-State honors, was a member of the All-State Tournament Team and was voted a member of the AHSCA West All-Star Team.

Meredith Carlson, a 5-5 libero, was second in digs (195) and digs per game (1.9) and second in aces (30). She was voted as a member of the AHSCA West All-Star Team.

The sisters helped lead the Lady Bulldogs to a 32-5-2 overall record and a 14-0 conference record. Greenwood, which won the 5A-West Conference title, advanced to the Class 5A state title match, losing to Siloam Springs.

“They have been active in volleyball since they were old enough to walk, and we have been following their progress almost that long hoping one day we might have the opportunity to sign them,” said Sargent, who has compiled a 400-85 record at UA Fort Smith.

“It’s always rewarding to be able to scholarship local talent, and we look forward to working with the twins all through their playing careers.”

UA Fort Smith had its best season ever this past fall, advancing to the NJCAA national championship match for the first time ever and finishing as national runner-up. The Lady Lions posted a 44-4 record – the second-most wins and second-fewest losses ever – won the Bi-State Conference for the eighth time and won the Region II tournament for the sixth time.

The Lady Lions, one of the premier junior college teams in recent history, will begin a new chapter in their illustrious history this fall when they begin competition as a member of NCAA Division II and the prestigious Heartland Conference.

Athletic director Dustin Smith announced on Monday that UA Fort Smith has accepted an invitation to join the prestigious Heartland Conference, a now 10-member league based in Waco, Texas.

UA Fort Smith will begin play in the Heartland Conference with the start of the 2009-10 season.

“It’s a historic day for UA Fort Smith athletics as we continue our transition to NCAA Division II status,” Smith said. “We are thankful to now have a home, and we feel the Heartland Conference fits the mission and goals of our institution and athletic department.”

UA Fort Smith, which is in its final year as a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association, is currently in the second year of the three-year Division II membership process.

UA Fort Smith will be a provisional Division II member next season while competing in the Heartland Conference. UA Fort Smith’s teams, however, will not be eligible to compete in postseason play until the 2010-11 season, when it becomes a full-fledged member of Division II.

“We are excited about beginning play in Division II next year and being a member of the Heartland Conference,” UA Fort Smith chancellor Dr. Paul B. Beran said. “We will be playing schools that will be on par with us. … This is a great moment.”

The Heartland Conference is the newest Division II conference. The conference, which was founded in 1999, covers a distance of more than 1,050 miles from north to south and 610 miles east to west.

UA Fort Smith will join current Heartland Conference members Dallas Baptist University, Incarnate Word University, St. Edward’s University, Lincoln University, St. Mary’s University, Newman University, Texas A&M International University, Oklahoma Panhandle State University and the University of Texas - Permian Basin.

“We look forward to establishing ourselves at the Division II level, and the Heartland Conference will be a great opportunity for us to showcase our program – athletically and academically,” Smith said.

The Heartland Conference sponsors six men’s sports – cross country, soccer, basketball, baseball, golf and tennis – and seven women’s sports – cross country, soccer, volleyball, basketball, golf, softball and tennis.

UA Fort Smith currently competes in four men’s sports – basketball, baseball, golf and tennis – and four women’s sports – volleyball, basketball, golf and tennis. Next season, it also will field men’s and women’s cross country teams.

Smith said the Heartland Conference not only is a great fit for UA Fort Smith athletically but academically as well.

Universities in the Heartland Conference offer a wide range of undergraduate, graduate and professional programs. The strength of the student-athlete concept is well supported by the many NCAA scholar-athletes in each school, the high cumulative GPA of the student-athletes in each school and the high number of student-athletes who graduate from each institution in the Heartland Conference.

“We are proud of their commitment to academics at the conference level,” Smith said. “That’s what we expect of our student-athletes.”

Smith said he is looking forward to a long relationship with the Heartland Conference.

“We are excited about being a member of the Heartland Conference and look forward to playing in the conference for many years to come,” Smith said.

UA Fort Smith Chancellor Dr. Paul B. Beran received the official notification of the decision made by the President’s Council of the Gulf South Conference during Wednesday’s session of the NCAA National Convention, which is being held this week in Washington, D.C.

In making its decision, the President’s Council cited the current balance within the conference’s two divisions – eight teams in the West Division and eight teams in the East Division – as being the desired management structure that they want to maintain for the conference.

“UA Fort Smith has a strong athletic program, excellent facilities, and most importantly, dedicated and energized athletic personnel,” Beran said. “The athletic department administration and I will immediately begin to pursue other conference opportunities.”

This past July, the athletic department received approval from the NCAA Division II membership committee to proceed to the second year of the two-year exploratory phase of the three-year membership process.

UA Fort Smith is currently competing in its final season as a member of the NJCAA.

“UA Fort Smith has demonstrated full ability to be a strong member of any NCAA Division II conference,” Beran said. “We will move forward to not only join another conference of equal or greater quality and stature, but also we will move forward to show our huge capacity for being the university of choice for student athletes.”

Sophomore Lucia Najselova was named a first team All-American, and freshman Heidi Luks of Tallinn, Estonia, was named a second team All-American.

Najselova, a 5-foot-9 setter from Nitra, Slovakia, led the Lady Lions with 1,363 assists and also collected 196 kills, 42 blocks, 201 digs and 66 aces. Najselova, who was a preseason first-team All-American, also was named to the all-tournament team at the national tournament after guiding the Lady Lions to a second-place finish.

The two-year starter, who also was named the Region II MVP, also was named a first team All-American by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.

Luks, a 5-10 outside hitter/middle hitter from Tallinn, Estonia, had 345 kills, 87 blocks, 22 assists, 52 aces and 393 digs. Luks also was named to the all-tournament team at the national tournament.

UA Fort Smith finished 44-4 overall, having won its eighth Bi-State Conference regular-season championship and its sixth Region II tournament championship and posted its best finish ever in the national tournament.

The Lady Lions’ 44 wins were the second most in school history. UA Fort Smith won 54 matches during the 2002 season, during which it made its first of six appearances in the national tournament.

UA Fort Smith’s four losses were the second fewest in school history. The Lady Lions lost only three matches during the 2005 season, during which they posted their previous best-ever finish in the national tournament (seventh place).

Ahead 2-0 against Blinn College during Saturday night’s NJCAA national volleyball championship match, the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith Lady Lions had their first national title well within their grasps.

The Buccaneers quickly snatched it away. Trailing 24-21 in the third set, the Buccaneers rallied to tie the set at 24 points apiece and outlasted the Lady Lions for a 30-28 win. That huge momentum swing was enough to propel Blinn College to a five-set win and the national title at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

The No. 4 seed Buccaneers (33-2) beat the No. 3 seed Lady Lions (44-4) 27-29, 19-25, 30-28, 25-19, 15-10.

“That third set is going to haunt us for the rest of our lives,” said UA Fort Smith coach Jane Sargent, whose Lady Lions closed the book on their 11 seasons of junior college volleyball. “We didn’t close out. We had three or four opportunities, and even when they tied it up we had a couple of opportunities.

“We just didn’t shut the door on them.”

UA Fort Smith, which will compete at the NCAA Division II level next season, finished its run at the junior college level with a 400-85 win-loss record.

The Lady Lions’ 44 wins this season ranks second all-time in the program’s history. UA Fort Smith won a school-record 54 matches during the 2002 season while making its first-ever appearance in the NJCAA national tournament.

Sophomores Janie Price of Fort Smith, Morgan Banner of Southlake, Texas, and Lucia Najselova of Nitra, Slovakia are a part of a sophomore class that compiled an 83-11 record during its two seasons.

It is the second-most wins by a sophomore class during its two-year span in school history. UA Fort Smith won 91 matches during the 2001-02 seasons and again during the 2002-03 seasons.

UA Fort Smith’s national runner-up finish is the best finish in school history. Previously, the Lady Lions’ best finish was a seventh-place effort in 2005.

The Lady Lions finished the season with only four losses, which is second all-time for fewest losses in a season. The Lady Lions lost only three matches during the 2005 season – they were 42-3 overall.

“We had super chemistry. You can’t take anything away from them. I still think we have the best setter in the country (Najselova),” Sargent said. “We have four kids from Arkansas, and we finish runner-up in the nation. When you look at anybody’s roster … Blinn’s an exception but Texas volleyball is so strong … but Western Nebraska doesn’t have many kids from Nebraska – they’re all internationals.

“It was a heck of a ride.”

UA Fort Smith reached set-point (24-21) in the third set on a kill by freshman Heidi Luks of Tallinn, Estonia, a block by sophomore Fabiane Nass of Santa Catarina, Brazil, and consecutive kills by Banner.

Blinn answered with a block by Jennifer Goodwin, a kill by Keidra Williams and an attack error by UA Fort Smith to tie the set at 24 points.

The Lady Lions again reached set point on a kill by freshman Jettie Stec of Fort Smith, but Blinn countered with a kill by Cinthya Roberto. Najselova gave the Lady Lions the lead again on a block, but Blinn took the lead with a kill by Elizaveta Senenkova and another attack error by the Lady Lions.

UA Fort Smith tied the set on a kill by Jessica Guenette of Lavaca, Ark., but Blinn regained the lead again on a kill Senenkova. Nass put the Lady Lions on set point again with kill, but Blinn finished off the set with a block by Kayla Schmidt and a kill by Roberto.

Roberto led Blinn with 22 kills, while Senenkova had 18 kills and Lakeshia Craft had 13.

Blinn controlled the fourth set to even the match, and the Buccaneers opened the fifth set on a 9-3 run to seal the Lady Lions’ fate.

“We played probably two perfect sets in the first two, and they came out and played three,” Sargent said. “The fifth game all you have to do is blink. The first one to blink loses, and we blinked.”

Nass led UA Fort Smith with 16 kills, Guenette and Luks had 13 kills apiece and Banner added 11. Luks also had four solo blocks and six assists. Najselova led the Lady Lions with 56 assists. Freshman Keely Rivera of Baytown, Texas, had a team-best 18 digs.

Stec, Najselova and Luks were each named to the All-Tournament Team, while Banner received the award for having the most aces during the tournament.

NJCAA DIVISION I VOLLEYBALL NATIONAL TOURNAMENT

At Mid-America Center, Council Bluffs, Iowa

Saturday’s Result

Ninth-Place Match

Match 23: No. 11 Salt Lake CC def. No. 12 Hutchinson CC 27-25, 18-25, 25-13, 25-19

Seventh-Place Match

Match 24: No. 6 MSU-West Plains def. No. 8 Hillsborough CC 25-17, 25-20, 25-23

Fifth-Place Match

Match 25: No. 7 Miami-Dade College vs. No. 5 San Jacinto College 25-20, 25-20, 25-22

Third-Place Match

Match 26: No. 2 Western Nebraska CC def. No. 1 Iowa Western CC 25-20, 24-26, 24-26, 25-22, 15-8

Championship

Match 27: 4 Blinn College def. No. 3 UA Fort Smith 27-29, 19-25, 30-28, 25-19, 15-10

The University of Arkansas - Fort Smith Lady Lions rallied from a first-set loss to beat defending national champion Western Nebraska Community College 3-1 on Friday night in the semifinals of the NJCAA national volleyball tournament.

The No. 3 seed Lady Lions beat the No. 2 seed Lady Cougars 21-25, 25-18, 26-24, 25-19 to advance to their first-ever national championship match.

“We have never beaten their program before,” Sargent said. “We had a game plan going in, and we stuck to our game plan. … We took them out of their system.”

The No. 2 seed Lady Cougars will play the No. 1 seed Iowa Western Community College Lady Reivers in the third-place match at 4:30 p.m.

UA Fort Smith (44-3) won its 23rd consecutive game and in the process gave coach Jane Sargent her 400th career win at the collegiate level. Sargent, who is the only head coach in the 11-year history of the program, has compiled a 400-84 career win-loss record.

“You’ve got to give the kids credit,” Sargent said. “They just kept after it and kept after it.”

The Lady Lions will play No. 4 seed Blinn College at 6:30 p.m. today in the championship match. Blinn upset No. 1 seed Iowa Western Community College in three sets in the other semifinal match.

The match will be broadcast on KFPW-AM 1230 and via the Internet at www.fortsmithradiogroup.com (Stream II).

It will be the first meeting between UA Fort Smith and Blinn College this season. Blinn won the last meeting between the two teams 3-0 during the 2007 national tournament.

Regardless of the outcome, UA Fort Smith will have posted its best finish ever in its 11-year history. Its previous best finish was seventh place in the 2005 national tournament.

UA Fort Smith held Western Nebraska to a paltry .181 attacking percentage. Still, Fatima Balza and Kaleinani Kabalis each had 16 and 14 kills, respectively.

“We played our defense where it needed to be, and our blocking was phenomenal. It was the difference in the ballgame.”

Sophomore Morgan Banner of Southlake, Texas, led the potent UA Fort Smith hitting attack with 11 kills. Sophomore Heidi Luks of Tallinn, Estonia, had nine kills, and sophomore Lucia Najselova of Nitra, Slovakia, and sophomore Fabiane Nass of Santa Catarina, Brazil, and freshman Jessica Guenette of Lavaca, Ark., each had eight kills apiece.

“We had a slow start, but we had a game plan to just stay the course and stay steady,” said Sargent, whose Lady Lions posted a .222 attacking percentage. “We knew they were a really emotional team, and we just kind of took them out of that.”

Najselova had a team-high 37 assists, and freshman Keely Rivera of Baytown, Texas had a team-high 27 digs.

NJCAA DIVISION I VOLLEYBALL NATIONAL TOURNAMENT

At Mid-America Center, Council Bluffs, Iowa

Thursday’s Results

Match 1: No. 3 UA Fort Smith def. No. 14 Casper (Wyo.) College 25-11, 25-14, 25-9

Match 2: No. 6 MSU-West Plains def. No. 11 Salt Lake CC 24-26, 23-25, 25-19, 25-23, 15-8

Match 3: No. 7 Miami-Dade College def. No. 10 North Idaho College 25-19, 26-24, 25-18

Match 4: No. 2 Western Nebraska CC def. No. 15 Northwest-Shoals CC 25-12, 25-13, 25-14

Match 5: No. 1 Iowa Western CC def. No. 16 Spartanburg Methodist College 25-12, 25-11, 25-7

Match 6: No. 8 Hillsborough CC def. No. 9 Frank Phillips College 25-18, 25-22, 30-22, 25-17

Match 7: No. 5 San Jacinto College def. No. 12 Hutchinson CC 25-11, 25-14, 25-21

Match 8: No. 4 Blinn College def. No. 13 Temple College 25-17, 26-24, 25-8

Match 9: No. 3 UA Fort Smith def. No. 6 MSU-West Plains 25-22, 25-21, 25-22

Match 10: No. 2 Western Nebraska CC def. No. 7 Miami-Dade College 25-20, 25-15, 25-17

Match 11: No. 1 Iowa Western CC def. No. 8 Hillsborough CC 25-17, 25-13, 25-18

Match 12: No. 4 Blinn College def. No. 5 San Jacinto College 20-25, 25-21, 25-14, 22-25, 15-12

Friday’s Results

Match 13: No. 11 Salt Lake CC def. No. 14 Casper College 23-25, 25-16, 25-20, 25-18

Match 14: No. 10 North Idaho College def. No. 15 Northwest-Shoals CC 25-12, 23-25, 25-15, 25-13

Match 15: No. 9 Frank Phillips College def. No. 16 Spartanburg Methodist College 25-12, 25-12, 25-19

Match 16: No. 12 Hutchinson CC def. No. 13 Temple College 23-25, 25-19, 25-21, 25-19

Match 17: No. 6 MSU-West Plains vs. No. 7 Miami-Dade College def. No. 6 MSU-West Plains 25-17, 21-25, 25-12, 25-23

Match 18: No. 5 San Jacinto College def. No. 8 Hillsborough CC 25-22, 25-17, 27-29, 25-18

Match 19: No. 11 Salt Lake CC def. No. 10 North Idaho College 19-25, 25-13, 21-25, 25-23, 16-14

Match 20: No. 12 Hutchinson CC def. No. 9 Frank Phillips College 25-18, 25-22, 25-23

Match 21: No.3 UA Fort Smith def. No. 2 Western Nebraska CC 21-25, 25-18, 26-24, 25-19

Match 22: No. 4 Blinn College def. No. 1 Iowa Western CC 25-21, 25-18, 25-21

Saturday

Ninth-Place Match

Match 23: No. 11 Salt Lake CC vs. No. 12 Hutchinson CC, Noon

Seventh-Place Match

Match 24: No. 6 MSU-West Plains vs. No. 8 Hillsborough CC, Noon

Fifth-Place Match Match 25: No. 7 Miami-Dade College vs. No. 5 San Jacinto College 2:30 p.m.

Third-Place Match Match 26: No. 2 Western Nebraska CC vs. No. 1 Iowa Western CC, 4:30 p.m.

Championship Match 27: No. 3 UA Fort Smith vs. No. 4 Blinn College, 6:30 p.m.

The University of Arkansas - Fort Smith volleyball team beat Missouri State University – West Plains for the fourth time this season on Thursday night in the quarterfinals of the NJCAA national tournament at Council Bluffs, Iowa.

UA Fort Smith beat MSU-West Plains 25-22, 25-21, 25-22 to earn its first-ever semifinal appearance in six trips to the national tournament.

The No. 3 seed Lady Lions (43-3) will play No. 2 seed Western Nebraska Community College (58-3) at 6:30 p.m. on Friday at the Mid-America Center. Western Nebraska, the defending national champion, swept No. 7 Miami-Dade College in the quarterfinals to reach the Final Four.

The game will be broadcast live via the Internet at www.fortsmithradiogroup.com (Stream II).

UA Fort Smith coach Jane Sargent, whose Lady Lions are assured of their best finish ever in the national tournament, inched ever closer to the 400-win mark. Sargent, who is the only coach in the 11-year history of the program, owns a 399-84 career win-loss mark at the collegiate level.

The Lady Lions posted a pair of sweeps during the opening rounds of the double-elimination affair. UA Fort Smith swept No. 14 seed Casper (Wyo.) College in the first round on Thursday morning.

UA Fort Smith beat MSU-West Plains 3-1 in each of its three previous encounters this season. The Lady Lions, who are transitioning to NCAA Division II, ended their all-time series with the Lady Grizzlies with a 6-3 mark.

The Lady Lions again used a balanced offensive attack to make quick work of the Lady Grizzlies with five players collecting five or more kills. Freshman Jessica Guenette of Lavaca, Ark., had a team-high nine kills and a team-best eight digs. Freshmen Jettie Stec of Fort Smith and Heidi Luks of Tallinn, Estonia, and sophomore Fabiane Nass of Santa Catarina, Brazil, each had eight kills apiece.

Stec had two solo blocks and six assists, and Nass had six block assists. Sophomore Lucia Najselova of Nitra, Slovakia, had a team-best 36 assists.

UA Fort Smith held MSU-West Plains (37-14) to a paltry .147 attack percentage. Katja Stepanova and Nile Whaley-Garrison led the Lady Grizzlies with 14 and 11 kills, respectively, and each had three solo blocks apiece.

Garrison had a team-best 10 digs.

NJCAA DIVISION I VOLLEYBALL NATIONAL TOURNAMENT

At Mid-America Center, Council Bluffs, Iowa

Thursday’s Results

Match 1: No. 3 UA Fort Smith def. No. 14 Casper (Wyo.) College 25-11, 25-14, 25-9

Match 2: No. 6 MSU-West Plains def. No. 11 Salt Lake CC 24-26, 23-25, 25-19, 25-23, 15-8

Match 3: No. 7 Miami-Dade College def. No. 10 North Idaho College 25-19, 26-24, 25-18

Match 4: No. 2 Western Nebraska CC def. No. 15 Northwest-Shoals CC 25-12, 25-13, 25-14

Match 5: No. 1 Iowa Western CC def. No. 16 Spartanburg Methodist College 25-12, 25-11, 25-7

Match 6: No. 8 Hillsborough CC def. No. 9 Frank Phillips College 25-18, 25-22, 30-22, 25-17

Match 7: No. 5 San Jacinto College def. No. 12 Hutchinson CC 25-11, 25-14, 25-21

Match 8: No. 4 Blinn College def. No. 13 Temple College 25-17, 26-24, 25-8

Match 9: No. 3 UA Fort Smith def. No. 6 MSU-West Plains 25-22, 25-21, 25-22

Match 10: No. 2 Western Nebraska CC def. No. 7 Miami-Dade College 25-20, 25-15, 25-17

Match 11: No. 1 Iowa Western CC def. No. 8 Hillsborough CC 25-17, 25-13, 25-18

Match 12: No. 5 San Jacinto College vs. No. 4 Blinn College

Friday’s Games

Match 13: No. 14 Casper College vs. No. 11 Salt Lake CC, 10 a.m.

Match 14: No. 10 North Idaho College vs. No. 15 Northwest-Shoals CC, 10 a.m.

Match 15: No. 16 Spartanburg Methodist College vs. No. 9 Frank Phillips College, Noon

Match 16: No. 12 Hutchinson CC vs. No. 13 Temple College, Noon

Match 17: No. 6 MSU-West Plains vs. No. 7 Miami-Dade College, 2:30 p.m.

Match 18: No. 8 Hillsborough CC vs. Loser Match 12, 2:30 p.m.

Match 19: Winner Match 13 vs. Winner Match 14, 4:30 p.m.

Match 20: Winner Match 15 vs. Winner Match 16, 4:30 p.m.

Match 21: No.3 UA Fort Smith vs. No. 2 Western Nebraska CC, 6:30 p.m.

Match 22: No. 1 Iowa Western CC vs. Winner Match 12, 6:30 p.m.

Saturday

Ninth-Place Match

Match 23: Winner Match 19 vs. Match 20, Noon

Seventh-Place Match

Match 24: Loser Match 19 vs. Loser Match 20, Noon

Fifth-Place Match

Match 25: Winner Match 17 vs. Winner 18, 2:30 p.m.

Third-Place Match

Match 26: Loser Match 21 vs. Loser Match 22, 4:30 p.m.

Championship Match 27: Winner Match 21 vs. Winner Match 22, 6:30 p.m.

The University of Arkansas - Fort Smith Lady Lions beat Casper (Wyo.) College in straight sets on Thursday during the first round of the NJCAA national volleyball tournament at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

UA Fort Smith won the match 25-11, 25-14, 25-9 to advance to the winner’s bracket quarterfinals. The No. 3 seed Lady Lions (42-3), who have won 21 consecutive matches, will play the No. 6 seed Missouri State University – West Plains at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday.

The match will be broadcast on KFPW-AM 1230 and via the Internet at www.fortsmithradiogroup.com (stream 2).

MSU-West Plains rallied from a two-set deficit to win three in a row and beat No. 11 Salt Lake Community College in the first round.

It will be the fourth meeting between UA Fort Smith and MSU-West Plains (37-13) this season with the Lady Lions winning all three encounters.

Sophomore Fabiane Nass of Santa Catarina, Brazil, paced the Lady Lions’ offensive barrage against the outmatched T-Birds. Nass had 13 kills, three digs, one solo block and three block assists. Sophomore Morgan Banner of Southlake, Texas, had five aces, and sophomore Lucia Najselova of Nitra, Slovakia, had 28 assists, four aces.

Sophomore Janie Price of Fort Smith had a team-high seven digs.

Konefesi Vaisigano led the T-Birds with six kills, while Kristin Glisczinski had seven digs.

They’ve won eight conference championships and six region tournament championships and earned six trips to the NJCAA national tournament.

And they’ve won a few matches along the way … well, more than a few.

UA Fort Smith coach Jane Sargent, who is the only Lady Lions head coach in the history of the program, will enter the NJCAA national tournament Thursday needing only three wins to reach the 400-win mark.

Sargent boasts a gaudy 397-84 career record at the college level. While reaching the 400-win mark is one of Sargent’s goals, her focus this weekend will be to guide her Lady Lions to their best-ever finish in what will be their final junior college national tournament.

The Lady Lions, who will begin competition at the NCAA Division II level next season, have never won national title, and their best finish yet is seventh place in 2005.

“If I could get my 400th win at the national tournament, it would be a dream come true, but I have to say it has not been my focus,” Sargent said. “This team has as good a chance as anyone in the country to do really well, and we are trying to make sure we are physically and mentally prepared to play hard all three days.

“Of course if we play well, all of ‘our’ dreams can come true together. Can you think of a better way to leave the junior college ranks?”

It won’t be easy.

UA Fort Smith is one of 13 teams in the 16-team tournament field that was ranked in the final regular season poll. Only Casper College, Northwest Shoals Community College and Spartanberg Methodist College were not ranked.

The No. 3 seed Lady Lions (41-3) will open tournament play at 9 a.m. Thursday against No. 14 seed Casper College at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The game will be broadcast on KFPW-AM 1230 and via the Internet at www. sportshog1031.com.

“This year’s tournament field is very similar to the past few years with the exception of a few teams,” Sargent said. “I think it’s a very strong representation of the best that junior college volleyball has to offer.”

Western Nebraska Community College, which is the defending national champion, is the No. 2 seed and is a favorite to repeat as champion, but Sargent said host Iowa Western Community College, which is the No. 1 seed, will be tough to beat on its home court.

“Definitely Iowa Western has a great advantage playing at home, and being the No. 1 seed says a lot for its coach and the players,” Sargent said. “Terry Gamble is a Hall of Fame coach and rightly so. He does a great job year in and year out and is very hard to beat.

“Western Nebraska, who is the defending champion, could very well repeat since a lot of its players are returning. Really, this year about six or eight teams have a chance to take it all. It will come down to who is playing well on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.”

UA Fort Smith certainly is playing well going into the tournament having won 20 consecutive matches. The Lady Lions also won five of the six invitational tournaments they competed in this season and, of course, won the Region II tournament to qualify for the national tournament.

“We feel good about how we are playing right now. We had our final line-up change back in October at the (Missouri State University) West Plains tournament, and it seems to have been the right move for us,” Sargent said. “Everyone is healthy and focused, and practices are going well.”

This Lady Lions team is a little more unique when compared to the previous five teams Sargent has guided to the national tournament in that it is void of a true “superstar” player. True, this team has its highly-heralded players – sophomore setter Lucia Najselova was a preseason All-American – but its success has been more of a product of total team effort.

“I think the strength of this team comes from the fact that we have a very balanced attack. If you look at our hitting stats, we have five players who are very similar,” Sargent said.

“I also think we have the best setter in the country. Lucia does a great job of spreading out the offense, which keeps our opponents always guessing who the ball is going to go to. That translates into one-on-none or one-on-one situations for our hitters. We also run a defense not many other teams are running, and I think it gives them trouble when trying to figure it out.”

Four Lady Lions have 280 or more kills. Sophomore Morgan Banner of Southlake, Texas, leads the team in kills with 395, while freshman Heidi Luks of Tallinn, Estonia, has 295 kills. Four Lady Lions have 60 or more blocks. Freshman Jettie Stec of Fort Smith leads the team with 101 blocks.

So, who’s playing the best for the Lady Lions going into the national tournament?

“That’s a hard question because they all have had their moments. The beauty of this team is we don’t just have one superstar,” Sargent said.

“They take up the slack when one of their own is struggling, and it has saved us in many matches. I would have to say our middles our playing really well right now. Heidi Luks and Jettie Stec have turned into two of the best middles we have ever had play here. Not only do they block well, but they can hit with the best of them.”

Casper College (27-14) has encountered a few teams like the Lady Lions this season – No. 2 seed Western Nebraska Community College, No. 10 seed North Idaho College, No. 11 seed Salt Lake Community College and College of Southern Idaho.

The T-Birds, however, are only 1-5 this season against those perennial national tournament contenders.

Casper College has four players with 200 or more kills. Freshman right-side hitter Konefesi Vaisigano and sophomore middle hitter Vanessa Muir lead the T-Birds with 399 and 342 kills, respectively. Muir leads the team in blocks with 158.

“When I looked up Casper on the NJCAA Web site, I went straight to its stats. They have about four hitters that have similar stats, so that tells me they have a very balanced attack that’s a lot like our’s,” Sargent said.

“We are trying to get game film on them and put together as much information on them as we can before we play them. What we are focusing the most attention on during practice is making sure we serve-receive well so that we give ourselves a chance at running our offense.”

If UA Fort Smith wins its first-round match, it would play the winner of the first-round match between No. 6 seed MSU-West Plains and No. 11 North Idaho College. If MSU-West Plains prevails, it will be the fourth meeting between the Lady Lions and the Lady Grizzlies this season. UA Fort Smith is 3-0 against MSU-West Plains this season.

The Lady Lions, who are only 7-10 in national tournament matches, have won only two first-round matches in the tournament and have never won a second-round, winner’s bracket match.

Last year’s team, which was projected to make a deep run in the tournament, won its opener against Temple College but lost its next three matches to finish in eighth place.

“Last year’s team, unfortunately, drew Western Nebraska in the second round, and they handed us our worst loss of the year. We never really recovered,” Sargent recalled. “This year’s team is different from any team I have ever coached. They have a very steady demeanor and don’t get rattled easily, despite a few scares throughout the season.

“They just go about doing their jobs, and somehow it’s enough to make them one of the top teams in the country. I give my sophomores credit for that. They know what we expect from them, and they know what a privilege it is to play here at UA Fort Smith.”

It wasn’t really that much of a surprise for Lady Lions coach Jane Sargent, whose Lady Lions were ranked No. 3 in the final regular-season poll.

“It was kind of what we expected,” said Sargent, whose Lady Lions earned the highest seed ever by a Region II team.

UA Fort Smith (41-3) will play No. 14 seed Casper College of Casper, Wyo., at 9 a.m. in the first round on Nov. 20. It will be the first post-season meeting between the Lady Lions and the Lady T-Birds (27-14), who won Region IX A to clinch their second consecutive trip to the national tournament.

The match will be broadcast on KFPW 1230-AM and via the Internet at www.sportshog1031.com

“We kind of thought we would be playing Casper,” Sargent said. “The girls are excited about it, and they are ready to play. To be the best, you’ve got to beat the best.”

If UA Fort Smith wins its tournament opener, the Lady Lions will play the winner of the match between No. 7 Missouri State University - West Plains and No. 11 Salt Lake Community College at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Iowa Western Community College (49-3) was the No. 1-ranked team in the final regular-season poll and is the No. 1-seeded team in the tournament. The Lady Reivers will play No. 16 seed Spartanburg Methodist College (24-7) in the first round.

Defending national champion Western Nebraska Community College (56-3) was the No. 2-ranked team in the final regular-season poll and is the No. 2-seeded team. They Lady Cougars will play No. 15 seed Northwest Shoals Community College (38-6) in the first round.

NJCAA DIVISION I NATIONAL VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT

Nov. 20-22

At Mid-America Center, Council Bluffs, Iowa

First-Round Pairings

Match 1: No. 3 UA Fort Smith vs. No. 14 Casper College, 9 a.m.

Match 2: No. 6 MSU-West Plains vs. No. 11 Salt Lake CC, 9 a.m.

Match 3: No. 7 Miami-Dade College vs. No. 10 North Idaho College, 11 a.m.

Match 4: No. 2 Western Nebraska CC vs. No. 15 Northwest Shoals CC, 11 a.m.

Match 5: No. 1 Iowa Western CC vs. No. 16 Spartanburg Methodist College, 1 p.m.

Match 6: No. 8 Hillsborough CC vs. No. 9 Frank Phillips College, 1 p.m.

Match 7: No. 5 San Jacinto CC vs. No. 12 Hutchinson CC, 3 p.m.

Match 8: No. 4 Blinn College vs. No. 13 Temple College, 3 p.m.

The University of Arkansas - Fort Smith Lady Lions volleyball team bid adieu to NJCAA Region II in style on Saturday afternoon, beating Redlands Community College 3-1 to win its final region tournament championship.

Top-seeded UA Fort Smith (41-3) beat No. 2-seeded Redlands 25-22, 25-16, 22-25, 25-20 at The Pit, the Lady Cougars’ home court in El Reno, Okla. It was UA Fort Smith’s fourth win against Redlands this season.

UA Fort Smith swept Northern Oklahoma College - Enid on Friday afternoon to advance to Saturday’s region tournament championship match.

It was the Lady Lions’ fourth-consecutive region tournament championship and their sixth tournament title in the 11-year history of the program. It also is the last region tournament championship for the No. 3-ranked Lady Lions at the junior college level. UA Fort Smith will begin competition at the NCAA Division II level next season.

“It’s an incredible feeling to go out like we did,” said UA Fort Smith coach Jane Sargent, who is the only coach in the program’s history. “I was a little nervous, but this bunch wasn’t nervous a bit. With them, there was never any doubt.”

UA Fort Smith won its 20th-consecutive match in beating No. 17-ranked Redlands, which finished second to the Lady Lions in the regular-season Bi-State Conference race. The Lady Lions did not lose to a conference opponent this season, extending that streak to four-consecutive seasons.

“This may have been one of the hardest region finals we’ve had,” Sargent said. “Redlands is a quality team.”

After winning the first two sets, UA Fort Smith was poised to complete the sweep after building a lead in the third set, but Redlands capitalized on the momentum of some inopportune hitting mistakes by the Lady Lions to win the set and extend the match.

“The first two sets were pretty easy. The third set we kind of had it in control, but we hit a few balls into their hands and made some errors,” Sargent recalled. “The fourth set was close, too.”

UA Fort Smith led 22-20 in the fourth set and finished off Redlands with a pair of huge blocks and a back-row attack for a kill by sophomore Janie Price of Fort Smith. Price also served the last four points of the match-clinching set.

Price and sophomore Morgan Banner of Southlake, Texas, were each named to the All-Tournament Team.

The Lady Lions qualified for NJCAA national tournament, which begins Nov. 20 at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The tournament is seeded with 16 teams qualifying for the three-day affair, and it’s likely the Lady Lions will receive no less than a No. 3 seed when the field is announced later this week.

UA Fort Smith finished eighth in the national tournament a year ago. Its best finish in its previous five national tournament appearances came in 2005 when the Lady Lions finished seventh.

UA FORT SMITH NJCAA REGION II SEASON HONORS

All-Region

Fabiane Nass

Heidi Luks

All-Region Honorable Mention

Morgan Banner

Keely Rivera

All-Region MVP

Lucia Najselova

UA Fort Smith (39-3) remained at No. 3 in the poll, which was released Wednesday morning. It’s the highest the Lady Lions have been ranked at the end of the regular season during their 11-year history.

The Lady Lions, who went undefeated in the Bi-State Conference to capture their seventh-consecutive and eighth overall conference title, will be the No. 1 seed in the NJCAA Region II tournament, which begins Nov. 7 at Redlands Community College in El Reno, Okla.

Redlands (24-7) is the only other Bi-State Conference team ranked in the final poll. The Lady Cougars, who lost to UA Fort Smith three times, are ranked No. 17.

With Western Nebraska’s loss – a three-set setback to No. 11 Miami-Dade College on Saturday – Iowa Western Community College (47-3) moved up one spot to No. 1. Western Nebraska (49-3) slipped to No. 2 and is followed in the Top 10 by UA Fort Smith, Blinn College (24-2), San Jacinto College (25-2), Hillsborough Community College (29-6), Missouri State University-West Plains (32-13), College of Southern Idaho (30-5), Frank Phillips College (36-9) and Salt Lake Community College (27-8).

The No. 3 Lady Lions (39-3) beat the Lady Jets 25-12, 25-22, 25-17 to finish conference play 6-0. UA Fort Smith, which won its 18th-consecutive match, swept all but one conference match — the Lady Lions beat Redlands Community College in five sets in their first encounter.

UA Fort Smith had already clinched its seventh-consecutive conference title prior to Wednesday’s match. The Lady Lions also already had clinched the No. 1 seed in the NJCAA Region II tournament, which begins Nov. 7 at Redlands Community College in El Reno, Okla.

UA Fort Smith (38-3) remained steady at No. 3 in the latest rankings, which were released on Wednesday morning. The Lady Lions, who have won 17-consecutive matches, received 54 points in the voting – only six points out of the top spot.

The Lady Lions, who have won five of the six invitationals they have competed in this season, clinched their seventh-consecutive Bi-State Conference regular-season title on Monday night after sweeping then-No. 18 Redlands Community College.

UA Fort Smith, which finishes the regular-season on Wednesday night at Bi-State Conference foe Northern Oklahoma College - Enid, also clinched the No. 1 seed in the NJCAA Region II tournament, which begins Nov. 7 at Redlands in El Reno, Okla.

Redlands (22-7), which has lost to UA Fort Smith three times this season, moved up one spot to No. 17 in the rankings and is the only other ranked Bi-State Conference team.

Western Nebraska Community College (44-2) received all three first-place votes to remain atop the rankings. Iowa Western Community College (44-3) remained No. 2, followed in the Top 10 by UA Fort Smith, Blinn College (21-2), Salt Lake Community College (26-7), San Jacinto College (23-2), Hillsborough Community College (25-6), Jefferson College (26-7), Frank Phillips College (35-9) and Missouri State University - West Plains (28-12).

The final regular-season poll will be released on Wednesday, Oct. 29.

No. 3 UA Fort Smith (38-3) beat Redlands 25-20, 25-23, 25-19 at the Stubblefield Center to improve to 5-0 in league play. UA Fort Smith has swept league foes Redlands, Seminole State and won the first match against Northern Oklahoma College-Enid. The Lady Lions, who have won 17-consecutive matches, will finish conference play at 6 p.m. on Wednesday against Northern-Enid at Enid, Okla.

The Lady Lions also have clinched the No. 1 seed in the NJCAA Region II tournament, which begins Nov. 7 at Redlands in El Reno, Okla. UA Fort Smith is the defending region tournament champion.

Freshman Jessica Guenette of Lavaca, Ark., delivered a break-out performance in the Lady Lions’ home finale, collecting a team-high 10 kills. She also had four aces and five digs to polish off what was arguably her best match of the season.

Freshman Heidi Luks of Tallinn, Estonia, fresh off an MVP performance in the Missouri State University-West Plains Grizzly Invitational this past weekend, had nine kills, eight digs, three blocks and five aces. Sophomore Lucia Najselova of Nitra, Slovakia, had 33 assists.

UA Fort Smith needed the full five sets to beat Redlands on its home court earlier this month, but the Lady Lions ended the second encounter quickly after a second-set comeback deflated the Lady Cougars’ hopes.

After winning the first set, UA Fort Smith fell behind 6-3 early in the second set and trailed for most of the set. UA Fort Smith tied the set at 19 points apiece on a kill by sophomore Morgan Banner of Southlake, Texas, and took the lead for good 21-19 on two more kills by Banner, who had six kills.

UA Fort Smith reached set-point (24-22) on a kill by Banner, but Redlands kept the Lady Lions from clinching the set temporarily with a kill by Brettney Moore. An attack error by the Lady Cougars gave the Lady Lions the winning point and a 2-0 lead.

After falling behind 2-0 in the third set, UA Fort Smith reeled off an 11-2 run on its way to posting the sweep.

UA Fort Smith (37-3), which stretched is winning streak to 16-consecutive matches, beat MSU - West Plains 13-25, 25-21, 25-22, 25-13.

It was the No. 3 Lady Lions’ third win against the Lady Grizzlies in as many tries this season and pushed coach Jane Sargent’s all-time mark against MSU-West Plains to 5-3 during her 11 seasons as Lady Lions coach.

UA Fort Smith capped its perfect performance with a sweep of Wallace State, winning 25-11, 25-16, 25-19.

Sophomore setter Lucia Najselova of Nitra, Slovakia, and freshman libero Keely Rivera of Baytown, Texas, were named to the All-Invitational Team, while freshman middle hitter Heidi Luks of Tallinn, Estonia, was named the MVP.

The Lady Lions, who also won the UA Fort Smith Lions Invitational, the Mattalee Fawcett Invitational, the Ozark Medical Center & Air Evac Lifeteam Tournament of Champions and the Days Inn/Super 8 Invitational, will resume Bi-State Conference play on Monday when they host No. 18 Redlands Community College at 6 p.m. at the Stubblefield Center.

UA Fort Smith (35-3) beat Seward County Community College 25-17, 25-18, 25-13 and held off Lake Land College 22-25, 25-10, 26-24, 24-26, 15-11.

The Lady Lions will conclude invitational play on Saturday against No. 9 MSU - West Plains at noon and Wallace State Community College at 4 p.m.

UA Fort Smith has beaten MSU - West Plains twice this season – the Ozark Medical Center & Air Evac Lifeteam Tournament of Champions and the Mattalee Fawcett Invitational.

UA Fort Smith (33-3) remained steady at No. 3 in the poll, which was released on Wednesday morning. The Lady Lions, who earned their highest ranking ever last week, have won 12-consecutive matches and are undefeated (4-0) in Bi-State Conference play.

Western Nebraska Community College (43-2) received all three first-place votes to stay atop the rankings for the third-consecutive week. Iowa Western Community College (39-3) is No. 2, followed in the Top 10 by UA Fort Smith, Blinn College (20-2), Salt Lake Community College (25-7), San Jacinto College (21-2), Hillsborough Community College (24-6), Jefferson College (24-7), Missouri State University-West Plains (25-11) and Frank Phillips College (31-9).

UA Fort Smith is one of two Bi-State Conference teams ranked in the Top 20. Redlands Community College (20-6) slipped three spots to No. 18.

The Lady Lions have beaten the Lady Cougars twice this season – the last time a five-set win in the first conference match between the two – and will play the Lady Cougars again at 6 p.m. on Monday in a Bi-State Conference match at the Stubblefield Center.

Prior to that, UA Fort Smith will compete in the MSU-West Plains Grizzly Invitational this weekend. The Lady Lions will play Seward County Community College at noon and Lake Land College at 4 p.m. on Friday, and they will play MSU-West Plains at noon and Wallace State at 4 p.m. on Saturday.

The University of Arkansas - Fort Smith volleyball team remained unbeaten in Bi-State Conference play on Monday night with a sweep of Northern Oklahoma College - Enid in front of season-high crowd of about 800 fans at the Stubblefield Center.

UA Fort Smith (33-3, 4-0) beat Northern-Enid 25-15, 25-15, 25-12 to begin the last half of conference play. The No. 3 Lady Lions, the defending regular-season conference champions, have beaten Seminole State (twice), No. 15 Redlands Community College and Northern-Enid in league play.

UA Fort Smith attracted its largest crowd of the season and the largest crowd in recent history as part of its “Dig for the Cure” night, which promoted breast cancer awareness and research. The Lady Lions accepted pledges for the number of digs they had against the Lady Jets with the proceeds going toward Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

The Lady Lions didn’t waste much time in asserting their dominance over the Lady Jets. UA Fort Smith enjoyed big early leads in two of the three sets – the Lady Lions led 13-4 in the opener and 7-1 in the third set.

And after falling behind 5-3 in the second set, the Lady Lions reeled off a 9-2 spurt to take a 12-7 lead and was never threatened again.

Sophomore Morgan Banner of Southlake, Texas, led the Lady Lions with 10 kills and eight digs and had two blocks. Sophomore Fabiane Nass of Santa Catarina, Brazil, had a team-high three blocks along with five kills and six digs, and sophomore Lucia Najselova of Nitra, Slovakia, had a team-high 15 assists.

The Lady Lions will compete in the Missouri State University - West Plains Grizzly Invitational at West Plains, Mo., on Friday and Saturday. On Friday, UA Fort Smith will play Seward County Community College at noon and Lake Land College at 4 p.m. On Saturday, the Lady Lions will play MSU-West Plains at noon and Wallace State at 4 p.m.

UA Fort Smith will play its final home match on Monday, Oct. 20, when it hosts Redlands Community College at 6 p.m. at the Stubblefield Center. UA Fort Smith beat Redlands in five sets during the first conference encounter between the two this season and is 2-0 against the Lady Cougars overall this fall.

The University of Arkansas - Fort Smith Lady Lions volleyball team will do its part to promote breast cancer awareness and research by joining other college and high school volleyball programs across the nation in the “Dig for the Cure” program.

UA Fort Smith will host its “Dig for the Cure” event on Monday night, when the No. 3 Lady Lions host Northern Oklahoma College - Enid in a Bi-State Conference match at 6 p.m. at the Stubblefield Center.

The Lady Lions are currently collecting pledges for the total number of digs they have during Monday’s match with the proceeds to benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Supporters may pledge per dig or make a flat donation.

UA Fort Smith’s goal is to pack the Stubblefield Center with pink, and each fan who wears pink will be entered to win a pink I-pod Shuffle. Also, all breast cancer survivors will be admitted free and will be honored throughout the night.

“We’re really thrilled to be a part of ‘Dig for the Cure,’” said UA Fort Smith coach Jane Sargent, whose mother has had breast cancer. “It’s just a great cause for us to get behind.”

“Dig for the Cure” is a program started by University of North Carolina - Charlotte volleyball coach Lisa Marston in 2003.

“My mother is a breast cancer survivor, and I wanted to combine my volleyball program’s community service project with a company that helped her to survive and others like her,” said Marston in a statement on the “Dig for the Cure” Web site.

“Therefore, I started ‘Dig for the Cure’ with just my program at Charlotte. In the following years, I was able to get my conferences involved. Consequently, the word has gotten out, and the effort has grown from my Division I program in 2003 to close to 200 programs across the country in all divisions and high schools.”

Sargent said there have been 94 events held nationally so far in October.

“Midland College’s (‘Dig for the cure’) match with New Mexico Military Institute is going to be televised. An ABC affiliate is picking that match up. (Missouri State) West Plains has had its match. Michigan has done it, and Penn State just had its match,” Sargent said. “Volleyball is really getting behind it. When we played Redlands, they all had pink shirts on and honored someone.”

Sargent is expecting a good turnout for Monday’s match.

“Waldron is bringing a bus with about 50, Greenwood’s coming over with their junior high (players) after their match and Kimmons, Northside and Southside are supposed to be here,” Sargent said. “We’ve invited Alma and Van Buren … all the area schools.”

The Lady Cougars sure looked the part on Wednesday night.

UA Fort Smith held off a strong upset bid by Redlands, winning in five sets at The Pit in El Reno, Okla. The No. 3 Lady Lions beat the No. 15 Lady Cougars 25-21, 19-25, 25-22, 25-27, 15-11.

The Lady Lions (32-3), who have won 11-consecutive matches, remained undefeated in Bi-State play, improving to 3-0. UA Fort Smith has beaten Seminole (twice) and Redlands.

UA Fort Smith will return to action on Monday, when its hosts Northern Oklahoma College-Enid in a Bi-State Conference match at 6 p.m. at the Stubblefield Center.

It will be “Dig for the Cure” Night. The Lady Lions are currently accepting pledges for the number of the digs they have during Monday’s match with the proceeds going toward Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Each fan who wears pink will be entered to win a pink I-pod Shuffle.

UA Fort Smith (31-3) moved up one spot to No. 3 in the latest NJCAA Division I Top 20, which was released on Wednesday morning. It is the highest ranking ever for a Lady Lions team.

The Lady Lions’ previous highest ranking was No. 4, which they received in the 2006 preseason poll and the past two weeks of the current rankings.

UA Fort Smith will carry a 10-match winning streak into Wednesday night’s Bi-State Conference match against No. 15 Redlands Community College at The Pit in El Reno, Okla. The Lady Lions are 2-0 in conference play with both wins against Seminole State College.

Western Nebraska Community College (35-2) received all three first-place votes to remain atop the rankings. Iowa Western Community College (33-3) is second, followed in the Top 10 by UA Fort Smith, Blinn College (18-2), Salt Lake Community College (23-7), College of Southern Idaho (25-4), San Jacinto College (20-2), Miami-Dade College (12-2), Jefferson College (20-7) and Missouri State University - West plains (27-10).

The University of Arkansas - Fort Smith volleyball team remained undefeated in Bi-State Conference play on Monday night, sweeping Seminole State College at the Stubblefield Center.

UA Fort Smith (31-3, 2-0) beat Seminole State 25-20, 25-13, 25-17 to keep the Lady Trojans winless in conference play.

It was the fifth match between the two rivals this season and the fifth win by the Lady Lions, who are ranked No. 4 in the nation.

UA Fort Smith beat Seminole twice in the season-opening UA Fort Smith Lions Invitational, once at Seminole State in the Bi-State Conference opener and again this past weekend in the Days Inn/Super 8 Invitational in Ottumwa, Iowa.

Freshman Heidi Luks of Tallinn, Estonia, led the Lady Lions with 10 kills and 16 digs, and freshman Keely Rivera of Baytown, Texas, had 15 kills. Sophomore Lucia Najselova of Nitra, Slovakia, had 36 assists and 10 digs.

UA Fort Smith set the tone early in each set by building big early leads. The Lady Lions led 7-1 in the opening set, 9-3 in the second set and 7-2 in the third set on their way to the sweep.

The Lady Lions will resume Bi-State Conference play at 6 p.m. on Wednesday when they travel to El Reno, Okla., to play the No. 16 Redlands Community College Lady Cougars at The Pit.

It will be the second meeting between the two Region II tournament title contenders. UA Fort Smith swept Redlands during the North Central Texas College Tournament earlier this season.

UA Fort Smith (30-3) went 4-0 in the two-day invitational hosted by Indian Hills Community College-Ottumwa.

The No. 4 Lady Lions beat Seminole State College, Iowa Lakes College, Indian Hills and Kishwaukee College, which is the No. 1-ranked team in NJCAA Division II.

UA Fort Smith, which has won nine consecutive matches, will host Bi-State Conference foe Seminole State College at 6 p.m. on Monday at the Stubblefield Center. It will be the fifth meeting between the two teams this season with UA Fort Smith winning the previous

UA Fort Smith (26-3, 1-0) beat Seminole State 25-13, 25-19, 25-22. It was the fifth-consecutive win for the No. 4 Lady Lions and the fourth-consecutive loss for the Lady Trojans.

The Lady Lions have won the past six Bi-State Conference regular-season championships and has won seven conference titles in the history of the program.

It was the Lady Lions’ third victory against the Lady Trojans (13-13, 0-1) this season. UA Fort Smith swept Seminole State twice during the season-opening UA Fort Smith Invitational on Aug. 22-23 at the Stubblefield Center.

The Lady Lions have not lost to the Lady Trojans since the 2004 NJCAA Region II tournament championship match, which Seminole State won in five sets at Raymond Harber Fieldhouse.

UA Fort Smith will compete in the two-day Indian Hills Community College Days Inn/Super 8 Invitational beginning on Friday at Ottumwa, Iowa.

UA Fort Smith (25-3) remained at No. 4 in the latest rankings released on Wednesday. The Lady Lions were idle last week and returned to action on Monday with a sweep of the Panola College Fillies at the Stubblefield Center.

The Lady Lions are one of two Bi-State Conference teams ranked in the Top 20. Redlands Community College (11-3) is No. 16.

Defending national champion Western Nebraska Community College (31-2) took over the top spot in the poll after former top-ranked Iowa Western Community College was swept by No. 7 San Jacinto College last week. College of Southern Idaho (23-3) moved up one spot to No. 2.

Iowa Western (28-3), UA Fort Smith, Blinn College (16-2), Salt Lake Community College (21-7), San Jacinto College (17-2), Miami-Dade College (10-2), Jefferson College (19-7) and Missouri State University-West Plains (20-10) round out the Top 10.

The No. 4-ranked Lady Lions returned to action on Monday night with a sweep of the Panola College Fillies at the Stubblefield Center. UA Fort Smith beat Panola 25-13, 25-21, 25-18.

It was the Lady Lions’ first action since beating No. 11 Missouri State University-West Plains on Sept. 20 in the championship match of the Mattalee Fawcett Invitational.

UA Fort Smith won the opener in convincing fashion, but the Lady Lions (25-3) struggled at times in the second set. Panola freshman middle blocker Dena Busse had a lot to do with that.

Busse had four kills and a block to spark the Fillies to a 6-2 lead. She also had a couple of key kills to top off a brief 3-0 spurt by the Fillies that pushed them ahead 17-16 and forced UA Fort Smith to burn a timeout.

That was the Fillies last lead of the set. UA Fort Smith responded with a 5-1 charge that was ignited by a kill from freshman Jettie Stec of Fort Smith and a block and a kill by sophomore Fabiane Nass of Santa Catarina, Brazil.

The Lady Lions closed the second set on a 9-4 run to take a 2-0 lead.

UA Fort Smith built a 20-13 lead in the third set and fended off a late rally by Panola – the Fillies (12-7) reeled off a 7-2 run to get within 23-18 – to complete the sweep.

Nass had a team-high nine kills, while sophomore Morgan Banner of Southlake, Texas, had eight kills to lead UA Fort Smith. Sophomore setter Lucia Najselova of Nitra, Slovakia, had 24 assists and three blocks.

Freshman Heidi Luks of Tallinn, Estonia, had 17 digs, and freshman Keely Rivera of Baytown, Texas, had 10 digs.

“I wrote ‘survival’ up there,” Sargent said. “And below that, I wrote ‘Every morning an antelope wakes up in Africa and knows it must outrun the fastest Lion to survive, and a Lion wakes up knowing it must outrun the slowest antelope to survive. So, whatever you are, you better hit the ground running.’”

The Lady Lions did just that.

UA Fort Smith beat No. 4-ranked Frank Phillips College in four sets in the championship semifinals and beat No. 14-ranked Missouri State University – West Plains in four sets to win the championship at the Stubblefield Center.

Frank Phillips swept Midland College to win the third-place match, and Pratt beat New Mexico Military Institute in the fifth-place match.

The No. 5-ranked Lady Lions (24-3) captured their second tournament title in as many weekends and won their third tournament in four tries. UA Fort Smith also won the UA Fort Smith Invitational and the Ozark Medical Center & Air Evac Lifeteam Tournament of Champions.

UA Fort Smith lost to Frank Phillips College in the championship match of the North Central Texas College Tournament.

“We definitely feel like we belong in the Top 10,” said Sargent, whose Lady Lions’ went 4-1 in the Mattalee Fawcett Invitational. “We had a little hiccup against New Mexico Military Institute (a five-set loss), but they probably played their best of match of the season so far.”

UA Fort Smith 3, MSU-West Plains 1

It was almost déjà vu for UA Fort Smith.

A week ago, the Lady Lions beat the MSU-West Plains Lady Grizzlies to top off a perfect performance in the Ozark Medical Center & Air Evac Lifeteam Tournament of Champions.

And on Saturday, the Lady Lions beat the Lady Grizzlies in the championship match of the Mattalee Fawcett Invitational.

UA Fort Smith won the match 28-26, 25-23, 26-28, 25-22.

“The enthusiasm was better today,” Sargent said. “It was an equal effort by everybody. We had people coming off the bench and making contributions. Jessica (Guenette) came in and made a couple of big kills, and Janie (Price) came in and had some huge digs.”

Sophomore Morgan Banner of Southlake, Texas, and freshman Jettie Stec of Fort Smith sparked the Lady Lions’ offense with 17 and 11 kills, respectively. Six Lady Lions had five kills or more.

Freshmen Heidi Luks of Tallinn, Estonia, and Keely Rivera of Baytown, Texas, ignited the Lady Lions’ defense with 14 and 11 digs, respectively. Sophomore Lucia Najselova of Nitra, Slovakia, the invitational MVP, had 49 assists, five digs, nine kills and one block.

UA Fort Smith 3, Frank Phillips College 1

When UA Fort Smith and Frank Phillips College played each other for the first time this season in the championship match of the North Central College Tournament, it was a close match that Frank Phillips won 2-1.

Their second meeting was just as close but with a much different result.

The Lady Lions rallied from an opening-set loss to win three-consecutive sets and beat the Lady Plainsmen in the semifinals of championship play. UA Fort Smith won the match 16-25, 25-9, 25-16, 30-28.

Ahead 2-1 in the match, UA Fort Smith trailed by as many as five points before rallying to tie the set at 23 points on a kill by freshman Chantlee Nash of Fayetteville, Ark.

The set was tied six more times before freshman Stec gave UA Fort Smith its final lead on a kill to put the Lady Lions in front 29-28. Banner finished off the Lady Plainsmen with a kill for the win.

Stec led UA Fort Smith with 14 kills, and sophomore Fabiane Nass of Santa Catarina, Brazil, and Banner had 12 and 10 kills, respectively.

Nash had eight kills and four blocks, while Najselova had four blocks and 41 assists.

MATTALEE FAWCETT INVITATIONAL

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM

Ariadne Alcantara, Midland College

Kayleigh Giddens, Frank Phillips College

Katerin Trejos, Pratt Community College

Katia Stepanova, MSU-West Plains

Nile Whaley-Garrison, MSU-West Plains

Morgan Banner, UA Fort Smith

MVP Lucia Najselova, UA Fort Smith

The No. 5-ranked Lady Lions overcame a surprising five-set loss to unranked New Mexico Military Institute to sweep Midland College in the pool play finale and advance to Saturday’s championship round at the Stubblefield Center.

UA Fort Smith (22-3) finished pool play 2-1 and in a three-way tie for first place with Midland College and New Mexico Military Institute. UA Fort Smith won the pool via the tiebreaker, and Midland College finished second.

The Lady Lions will play No. 4-ranked Frank Phillips College, which finished second in the other pool, on Court 1 at 11 a.m. in the championship semifinals. Midland College will play No. 14-ranked Missouri State University-West Plains, which won the other pool, in the other semifinal on Court 2 at 11 a.m.

“I gave them a big chewing out in the locker room after the loss to New Mexico. … And then after that, they had a team meeting of their own,” UA Fort Smith coach Jane Sargent said. “They were more enthusiastic that last match.”

UA Fort Smith 3, NCTC 0

UA Fort Smith used a balanced offensive attack to sweep North Central Texas College for the second time this season to open pool play.

The Lady Lions won the match 25-18, 25-13, 25-18. Six Lady Lions had at least four kills apiece with freshman Heidi Luks of Tallinn, Estonia, leading the charge with eight kills, while freshman Chantlee Nash of Fayetteville, Ark., had six kills and sophomore Lucia Najselova of Nitra, Slovakia, had five kills.

The Lady Lions’ defense wasn’t too shabby, either, with four players recording at least seven digs. Luks had a team-high 14 digs, while freshman Keely Rivera of Baytown, Texas, had 12 digs.

Najselova had 22 assists, and sophomore Fabiane Nass of Santa Catarina, Brazil, had six blocks.

Already ahead 2-0, UA Fort Smith was sluggish offensively to start the third set and fell behind 8-3. A kill by Nash and two kills by freshman Jettie Stec of Fort Smith triggered a 9-0 spurt that put the Lady Lions in the lead for good.

N.M. Military Institute 3, UA Fort Smith 2

UA Fort Smith’s first-ever match against New Mexico Military Institute wasn’t a pleasant experience for the Lady Lions.

The Lady Broncos, sparked by the red-hot hitting of freshman Liz Castellanos, posted a five-set upset of the Lady Lions, winning 25-21, 23-25, 20-25, 25-23, 15-10.

“I take nothing away from New Mexico,” Sargent said. “They played as well as anybody we’ve played. They’re a good, fast-paced team, and our freshmen middles couldn’t keep up. Their serving was awesome, and I don’t think they missed a serve.

“Their serve-receive was awesome, too, and I don’t think we had many aces. They were awesome, and we were just OK.”

Stec led the Lady Lions’ offense with 18 kills, while Luks had 14 kills. Sophomore Morgan Banner of Southlake, Texas, had 12 kills, and Najselova added 10 kills. Stec also had seven blocks, while Nash had six.

Najselova, a preseason All-American, had 49 assists, while Rivera had nine digs.

UA Fort Smith 3, Midland College 0

After stewing over their loss to New Mexico Military Institute for a few hours, the Lady Lions returned to the court with a sense of urgency against Midland College, knowing they likely needed a sweep to reach the championship round.

And, they delivered.

UA Fort Smith won the match 25-19, 25-13, 25-18 to win the pool.

It was a match that pitted Sargent against one of her former players. Second-year Midland College coach Kim Boone, a Fort Smith Southside graduate, played two seasons at UA Fort Smith.

“That was fun,” said Sargent of playing against her former player.

Stec and Luks each had 10 kills apiece and Banner had eight to lead the Lady Lions. Nash had six blocks, while Stec and Nass had four apiece. Nass also had 13 digs, while Luks and Rivera had 12 and 11, respectively.

Najselova had 32 assists.

Mattalee Fawcett Invitational

At Stubblefield Center

Friday-Saturday

Friday’s Pool Play Matches

Court 1

No. 5 UA Fort Smith def. North Central Texas College, 3-0

Midland College def. New Mexico Military Institute, 3-1

New Mexico Military Institute def. No. 5 UA Fort Smith, 3-2

Midland College def. North Central Texas College, 3-0

New Mexico Military Institute def. North Central Texas College, 3-1

No. 5 UA Fort Smith def. Midland College, 3-0 Court 2

No. 4 Frank Phillips College def. Western Texas College, 3-0

No. 14 MSU-West Plains def. Pratt Community College, 3-0

No. 4 Frank Phillips College def. Pratt Community College, 3-0

No. 14 MSU-West Plains def. Western Texas College, 3-0

Pratt Community College def. Western Texas College, 3-0

No. 14 MSU-West Plains def. No. 4 Frank Phillips, 3-1

Saturday’s Tournament Matches

Court 1

New Mexico Military Institute vs. Western Texas, 9 a.m.

No. 5 UA Fort Smith vs. No. 4 Frank Phillips, 11 a.m.

Winner Court 1 (9 a.m. match) vs. Winner Court 2 (9 a.m. match), 1 p.m.

Championship Match, 3 p.m.

Court 2

Pratt Community College vs. North Central Texas, 9 a.m.

No. 14 MSU-West Plains vs. Midland College, 11 a.m.

Loser Court 1 (9 a.m. match) vs. Loser Court 2 (9 a.m. match), 1 p.m.

Third-Place Match, 3 p.m.

Three of the teams in the eight-team field for this weekend’s Mattalee Fawcett Invitational are currently ranked in the NJCAA Division I Top 20, and five of the eight teams have been ranked this season, either in the preseason or regular-season polls.

UA Fort Smith is ranked No. 5 in the latest Top 20, while Frank Phillips College is No. 4 and MSU-West Plains is No. 14. New Mexico Military Institute was ranked No. 17 in the first regular-season poll, and Midland College was ranked No. 20 in the preseason rankings.

“We have really built up our tournaments over the past few years. There are going to be some hard matches,” UA Fort Smith coach Jane Sargent said. “Five of the teams have been ranked in the Top 20 at some point.”

Action in the two-day invitational will begin with pool play at 9 a.m. on Friday at the Stubblefield Center. Tournament play will begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday.

UA Fort Smith (20-2) will compete in a pool with Midland College, New Mexico Military Institute and North Central Texas.

The Lady Lions have already beaten North Central Texas College once this season, and they will be playing New Mexico Military Institute for the first time in the program’s 11-year history.

UA Fort Smith’s pool play match against Midland College will be a special one for Sargent, who will match coaching wits with one of her former players.

Second-year Midland College coach Kim Boone, a Fort Smith native and graduate of Southside High School, played two seasons at UA Fort Smith, helping to lead the Lady Lions to their first two NJCAA Region II tournament championships and first two national tournament appearances.

During Boone’s two seasons at UA Fort Smith (2002, 2003), the Lady Lions compiled a 91-11 win-loss record, including a school-record 54 wins in 2002, and was 16-0 in Bi-State Conference play.

“It’s going to be great to have Kim Boone back. It will be coach versus former player,” Sargent said. “I’m definitely looking forward to it. I started coaching her in the eighth grade, and it’s great to see that she now has her own program.”

The other pool is stacked with perennial national tournament qualifiers Frank Phillips College and MSU-West Plains, along with Pratt Community College and Western Texas College.

UA Fort Smith has played Frank Phillips once already, losing 2-1 in the championship match of the North Central Texas College Tournament, and has played MSU-West Plains once, winning 3-1 during last weekend’s Ozark Medical Center & Air Evac Lifeteam Tournament of Champions.

The Lady Lions went 4-0 during the Tournament of Champions, beating Jefferson College, Miami Dade College, Lake Land College and MSU-West Plains. They were the only team to go undefeated in winning the tournament.

Lions sophomore Lucia Najselova of Nitra, Slovakia, was named tournament MVP, and sophomore Fabiane Nass of Santa Catarina, Brazil, was named to the All-Tournament Team.

UA Fort Smith will be looking to win its third tournament in four tries this season. The Lady Lions won the UA Fort Smith Invitational and the Tournament of Champions and finished runner-up at the North Central Texas College Tournament.

Mattalee Fawcett Invitational

At Stubblefield Center

Friday-Saturday

Friday’s Pool Play Matches

Court 1

No. 5 UA Fort Smith vs. North Central Texas College, 9 a.m.

Midland College vs. New Mexico Military Institute, 11 a.m.

No. 5 UA Fort Smith vs. New Mexico Military Institute, 1 p.m.

Midland College vs. North Central Texas College, 3 p.m.

New Mexico Military Institute vs. North Central Texas College, 5 p.m.

No. 5 UA Fort Smith vs. Midland College, 7 p.m. Court 2

No. 4 Frank Phillips College vs. Western Texas College, 9 a.m.

No. 14 MSU-West Plains vs. Pratt Community College, 11 a.m.

No. 4 Frank Phillips College vs. Pratt Community College, 1 p.m.

No. 14 MSU-West Plains vs. Western Texas College, 3 p.m.

Pratt Community College vs. Western Texas College, 5 p.m.

No. 4 Frank Phillips vs. No. 14 MSU-West Plains, 7 p.m.

Saturday’s Tournament Matches

Court 1

Third (Pool A) vs. Fourth (Pool B), 9 a.m.

First (Pool A) vs. Second (Pool B), 11 a.m.

Winner Court 1 (9 a.m. match) vs. Winner Court 2 (9 a.m. match), 1 p.m.

Championship Match, 3 p.m.

Court 2

Third (Pool B) vs. Fourth (Pool A), 9 a.m.

First (Pool B) vs. Second (Pool A), 11 a.m.

Loser Court 1 (9 a.m. match) vs. Loser Court 2 (9 a.m. match), 1 p.m.

Third-Place Match, 3 p.m.

UA Fort Smith, which was ranked No. 9 in last week’s first regular-season poll, moved up to No. 5 after toppling the likes of preseason No. 1-ranked Miami Dade College, previously No. 5-ranked Missouri State University-West Plains and Jefferson College in the Tournament of Champions.

The Lady Lions, who have won seven-consecutive matches, are one of two Bi-State Conference teams ranked in the Top 20. Redlands Community College (6-2), which is expected to be UA Fort Smith’s toughest competition in league play, is ranked No. 17.

Iowa Western Community College (24-2) remains atop the rankings after receiving all three first-place votes. Western Nebraska Community College (25-2) is No. 2 and is followed in the Top 10 by College of Southern Idaho (21-3), Frank Phillips College (19-2), UA Fort Smith, Blinn College (13-2), Salt Lake Community College (19-7), San Jacinto College (12-2), St. Petersburg College (6-1) and Miami Dade College (3-2).

UA Fort Smith (20-2) swept Fort Scott at the Stubblefield Center, posting its second win over the Kansas junior college in less than a week.

The No. 9-ranked Lady Lions won the match 25-11, 25-8, 25-15 after sweeping the Lady Greyhounds on Thursday night at Fort Scott, Kan.

It was the seventh-consecutive win by the Lady Lions, who will likely move up in the rankings when the new NJCAA Division I poll is released on Wednesday. The Lady Lions were coming off a championship performance in last weekend’s Ozark Medical Center & Air Evac Lifeteam Tournament of Champions at West Plains, Mo.

UA Fort Smith went undefeated in the tournament, beating Jefferson College, former preseason No. 1-ranked Miami Dade, Lake Land College and No. 6-ranked Missouri State University-West Plains.

The Lady Lions literally served the Lady Greyhounds off the court, serving a gaudy 21 aces. Sophomore Morgan Banner of Southlake, Texas, led the Lady Lions’ serving assault with seven aces and had five kills.

UA Fort Smith freshman Jettie Stec of Fort Smith had seven kills to lead the Lady Lions. Freshman Heidi Luks of Tallinn, Estonia, had four blocks, freshman Keely Rivera of Baytown, Texas, had eight digs and sophomore Lucia Najselova of Nitra, Slovakia, had 12 assists.

Freshman Kaylen Bolton of Fort Worth, Texas, had four kills, six assists and six digs.

UA Fort Smith will return to action on Thursday at 6 p.m. when it will host NAIA Division I Oklahoma Baptist University in an exhibition match at the Stubblefield Center.

The Lady Lions, in turns out, had little trouble on their way to winning their second tournament in three tries this season.

UA Fort Smith (19-2) swept Lake Land College and edged No. 6-ranked Missouri State University - West Plains 3-1 on Saturday afternoon to top off a perfect tournament and take home the title. The No. 9-ranked Lady Lions, who will likely move up in the rankings when the new poll is released on Wednesday, opened the tournament on Friday with a hard-fought 3-2 win against Jefferson College and a sweep of preseason No. 1-ranked Miami Dade College.

It was just the Lady Lions’ second win against Miami Dade College in school history. Miami Dade has won the national title four times since 1996 and was the national runner-up a year ago.

UA Fort Smith, which also won its own season-opening invitational on Aug. 22-23, was the only team in the Tournament of Champions to go undefeated and has now won six-consecutive matches since losing to No. 5-ranked Frank Phillips College 2-1 in the championship match of the North Central Texas College Tournament on Sept. 6 at Gainesville, Texas.

The Lady Lions will return to action on Monday night at 5 p.m. when they host the Fort Scott Community College Lady Greyhounds. It will be the second meeting between the two teams, who played each other on Thursday at Fort Scott, Kan. UA Fort Smith won the opener 3-0.

UA Fort Smith (15-2) dominated Fort Scott 25-5, 25-13, 25-16 to win its second-consecutive match. It was the first of two encounters between the No. 9-ranked Lady Lions and the Lady Greyhounds. The two teams will play again on Monday night at 5 p.m. at the Stubblefield Center.

“We served a lot aces,” UA Fort Smith coach Jane Sargent said. “Fabiane (Nass) probably had at least eight aces. Fabiane and Lucia (Najselova) both played really well. Fort Scott didn’t really hit much, so we didn’t have many blocks if any.”

The Lady Lions will begin competition on Friday in the Ozark Medical Center & Air Evac Lifeteam Tournament of Champions at West Plains, Mo., at 2 p.m. against Jefferson College.

UA Fort Smith (14-2), which was ranked No. 7 in the preseason rankings, slipped to No. 9 after suffering two losses during last weekend’s North Central College Tournament in Gainesville, Texas.

The Lady Lions are one of two Bi-State Conference teams ranked in the poll and one of three conference teams to receive votes.

Redlands Community College, which UA Fort Smith swept in the NCTC Tournament, is ranked No. 14, and Seminole State College, which UA Fort Smith has swept twice already, is not ranked but received votes.

Iowa Western Community College (21-1) commands the top spot in the first regular-season poll, receiving all three first-place votes.

Iowa Western is followed in the Top 10 by Western Nebraska Community College (20-2), College of Southern Idaho (17-3), Salt Lake Community College (17-5), Frank Phillips College (18-2), Missouri State University-West Plains (9-5), Blinn College (9-1), San Jacinto College (12-2), UA Fort Smith and St. Petersburg College (3-0).

UA Fort Smith (14-2) won the nonconference match 25-16, 25-21, 25-17. It was the first action for the No. 7-ranked Lady Lions since losing to Frank Phillips College in the championship match of the North Central Texas College Tournament on Saturday afternoon.

“We served them off the court,” UA Fort Smith coach Jane Sargent said. “Jessica (Guenette) hit the ball well, too.”

UA Fort Smith will return to action on Thursday with another road match against Fort Scott (Kan.) Community College. The Lady Lions will compete in a tournament at Missouri State University-West Plains on Friday and Saturday at West Plains, Mo.

UA Fort Smith (13-2), which went 2-1 during the opening day of the tournament on Friday, swept North Central Texas to finish pool play before sweeping Temple College and Redlands Community College in the first rounds of championship play.

The No. 7-ranked Lady Lions lost to Frank Phillips College in three sets in the championship match.

Sophomore setter Lucia Najselova and sophomore outside hitter Morgan Banner of Southlake, Texas, were named to the All-Tournament Team.

UA Fort Smith opened pool play with wins against Western Texas College and Wharton College but lost to No. 14-ranked San Jacinto College. The No. 7-ranked Lady Lions (10-1) will wrap up pool play on Saturday morning against host North Central Texas before beginning championship play.

The Lady Lions will likely open championship play against Bi-State Conference nemesis Redlands Community College.

UA Fort Smith (8-0) won the match 25-18, 25-13, 25-17. The No. 7-ranked Lady Lions still have not lost a set this season — a streak of 24-consecutive set wins.

It was the Lady Lions' second win against the Lady Dragons. UA Fort Smith swept Paris Junior College on Aug. 25 at the Stubblefield Center.

First serve in the nonconference volleyball match will be at 6 p.m. at Paris, Texas.

It will be the first action for the Lady Lions since Aug. 27, when they played NAIA Division I Oklahoma Baptist University in an exhibition match at Shawnee, Okla. It will be the first official match for the Lady Lions since sweeping Paris Junior College on Aug. 25 at the Stubblefield Center.

UA Fort Smith beat Paris Junior College 25-18, 25-18, 25-12 in the first encounter to remain undefeated. The No. 7-ranked Lady Lions (7-0) have not lost a set this season, winning 21-consecutive sets.

After Thursday’s rematch with Paris Junior College, the Lady Lions will compete in the North Central Texas College Invitational at Gainesville, Texas, on Friday and Saturday.

Joining UA Fort Smith and host North Central Texas in the 10-team field will be Wharton College, San Jacinto College, Western Texas College, Redlands Community College, Galveston College, Frank Phillips College, Temple College and Paris Junior College.

UA Fort Smith coach Jane Sargent said the time off this past week was beneficial, considering the Lady Lions’ upcoming schedule. The Lady Lions will compete in three-consecutive weekend tournaments – the NCTC Invitational, the Ozark Medical Center & Air Evac Lifeteam Tournament of Champions (Sept. 12-13) at West Plains, Mo., and the UA Fort Smith/Mattalee Fawcett Tournament (Sept. 19-20).

The Lady Lions also will play three regular matches and one exhibition match during that span.

“This (past) week was kind of the calm before the storm,” Sargent said. “We knew going into the season that this (past) weekend would be the last one off for a while, so we took advantage of that and planned for them to have two days off. They came back Monday night with fresh legs and practiced hard, so I think the time off was beneficial to everyone.”

As the Lady Lions head into the heart of their schedule, all of the pieces are beginning to fall into place. Sargent said she has settled on a line-up, for the most part.

“We also have a lot of really good options at all positions, which is instrumental in pushing everyone to get better,” Sargent said. “The dynamics on this team so far are good. They play hard, they practice well and they get along, so at this point the coaching staff is pretty pleased.”

UA Fort Smith, which has won seven consecutive matches, won the match 25-18, 25-18, 25-12. The Lady Lions, who are ranked No. 7 in the NJCAA Division I Preseason Top 25, have not lost a set in the seven matches – a streak of 21-consecutive sets.

The Lady Lions (7-0) used a balanced offensive attack to beat the Lady Dragons with five players collecting five or more kills.

Sophomore Fabiane Nass of Santa Catarina, Brazil led the Lady Lions with 10 kills and three blocks, sophomore Morgan Banner of Southlake, Texas, had nine kills, freshman Jettie Stec of Fort Smith had seven kills and five blocks and freshmen Chantlee Nash of Fayetteville, Ark., and Heidi Luks of Tallinn, Estonia, had five kills apiece.

UA Fort Smith will travel to Shawnee, Okla., on Wednesday to play an exhibition match against NAIA Oklahoma Baptist University.

The No. 7-ranked Lady Lions dominated the two-day, round-robin affair at the Stubblefield Center, sweeping all six matches in straight sets. UA Fort Smith beat Seminole State, Cisco Junior College and No. 23-ranked Tyler Junior College on Saturday to top off their championship march.

Tyler Junior College (4-2) was second, having only lost to UA Fort Smith. Seminole State (2-4) was third, and Cisco Junior College (0-6) was fourth.

“It’s always nice to open the season 6-0,” Sargent said. “We were pretty balanced at times, but we still have some work to do.”

The freshmen tandem of Jettie Stec of Fort Smith and Heidi Luks of Tallinn, Estonia, gave Sargent plenty of reasons to be happy about the Lady Lions’ offense. The two middle hitters tallied double-digit kills in two of the matches. Stec, a 5-foot-10 middle hitter, finished the three-match second round with 25 kills.

“Jettie played great,” Sargent said. “We just need to get her the ball more. She can just pound it.”

While the Lady Lions’ hitting was consistent throughout, their serving was at best hit-and-miss, and that’s something that will have to get better, Sargent said. UA Fort Smith missed 10 serves against Tyler Junior College.

“We served tough at times, but we’ve got to eliminate our serving errors,” Sargent said. “Half their points we’re giving them.”

UA Fort Smith 3, Seminole State 0

The Lady Lions shook off a sluggish effort in the first set to sweep the Lady Trojans for the second time in as many days. UA Fort Smith won the match 25-20, 25-12, 25-17.

Luks and Stec sparked the Lady Lions’ offense with a dominating hitting exhibition. Luks had a team-high 11 kills and a one block, while Stec had 10 kills and one block. Sophomore setter Lucia Najselova led the Lady Lions with 30 assists.

UA Fort Smith 3, Cisco Junior College 0

Cisco’s early season offensive struggles continued as UA Fort Smith swept the Lady Wranglers in convincing fashion for the second time. The Lady Lions won the match 25-11, 25-9, 25-10.

Luks and Stec again were the potent duo offensively, collecting a team-high 10 kills apiece in the lopsided win.

As dominating as the Lady Lions’ hitting was, their serving was just as effective. Luks served eight aces, freshman Keely Rivera of Baytown, Texas, served three aces and sophomore Morgan Banner of Southlake, Texas, served four aces. Najselova, a preseason All-American setter, had 17 assists, while freshman setter Kaylen Bolten of Fort Worth, Texas, had 10 assists.

UA Fort Smith 3, Tyler Junior College 0

UA Fort Smith bolted to an early 9-3 lead in the first set against Tyler Junior College and never looked back on its way to another sweep of the Lady Apaches. The Lady Lions won the match 25-15, 25-15, 25-16.

Stec and sophomore Fabiane Nass of Santa Catarina, Brazil, each had five kills apiece, while freshman Chantlee Nash of Fayetteville, Ark., had four kills. Stec and Nash had two blocks each.

Najselova had 25 assists three aces, and Rivera also had three aces.

UA FORT SMITH INVITATIONAL

At Stubblefield Center

Friday

Court 1

No. 7 UA Fort Smith def. Cisco Junior College, 3-0

No. 7 UA Fort Smith def. No. 23 Tyler Junior College, 3-0

No. 7 UA Fort Smith vs. Seminole State College, 3-0

Court 2

No. 23 Tyler Junior College def. Seminole State College, 3-0

Seminole State College def. Cisco Junior College, 3-2

No. 23 Tyler Junior College def. Cisco Junior College, 3-0

Saturday

Court 1

No. 23 Tyler Junior College def. Cisco Junior College, 3-0

No.23 Tyler Junior College def. Seminole State College, 3-1

No. 7 UA Fort Smith def. No. 23 Tyler Junior College, 3-0

Court 2

No. 7 UA Fort Smith def. Seminole State College, 3-0

No. 7 UA Fort Smith def. Cisco Junior College, 3-0

Seminole State College def. Cisco Junior College, 3-0

The No. 7-ranked University of Arkansas - Fort Smith Lady Lions waltzed through the opening round of the UA Fort Smith Invitational undefeated on Friday, sweeping Cisco Junior College, No. 23-ranked Tyler Junior College and Seminole State College.

UA Fort Smith (3-0) will resume play today in the double round-robin affair at 10 a.m. at the Stubblefield Center against Seminole State College. The Lady Lions will finish invitational play with matches against Cisco at noon and Tyler at 3 p.m.

Lady Lions coach Jane Sargent was pleased with the opening day performance for the most part, especially the play of freshman Keely Rivera of Baytown, Texas, who is transitioning from outside hitter to libero.

“It was a great first day. We got a chance to see what our strengths and weaknesses were,” Sargent said. “I was really impressed with Keely and how she was able to move from outside hitter to libero. That’s a big adjustment with her not having played there.”

The Lady Lions’ offense was a spread out among the hitters with sophomore outside hitter Morgan Banner of Southlake, Texas; freshman middle hitter Jettie Stec of Fort Smith, sophomore right side hitter Fabiane Nass of Santa Catarina, Brazil; and freshman outside hitter Heidi Luks of Tallinn, Estonia, all tallying high kill counts during the opening round. Still, Sargent would like to see more improvement from her outside hitters.

“I’m still concerned a little with our outside hitters,” Sargent said. “They are going to have to carry more of the load. We didn’t put the ball down like we need to.”

UA Fort Smith 3, Cisco Junior College 0

The Lady Lions did waste much time in posting their season-opening win, sweeping the overmatched Lady Wranglers. UA Fort Smith won the match 25-13, 25-10, 25-11.

Banner led the Lady Lions with nine kills. Nass had seven kills and three blocks, Stec had seven kills, three aces and one block; and Luks had five kills and two blocks.

Lady Lions sophomore Lucia Najselova of Nitra, Slovakia, had 16 assists.

UA Fort Smith 3, Tyler Junior College 0

The Lady Apaches were expected to be the Lady Lions’ toughest foe of the invitational, but UA Fort Smith’s hitters proved to be too potent for Tyler.

Nass had 13 kills, Stec had nine and Luks had eight to lead UA Fort Smith to a sweep. The Lady Lions won the match 25-19, 25-11, 25-15.

Najselova, a preseason All-American setter, had 25 assists, two aces and four kills.

UA Fort Smith 3, Seminole State College 0

In a prelude to the Bi-State Conference season, the Lady Lions shook off a slow start in the first set to sweep the Lady Trojans. UA Fort Smith won the match 25-19, 25-16, 25-16.

Nass had a team-high 11 kills. Luks had nine kills, three blocks and one ace, Stec had five kills, four aces and one block and freshman Jessica Guenette of Lavaca, Ark., had three kills.

UA FORT SMITH INVITATIONAL

At Stubblefield Center

Friday

Court 1

No. 7 UA Fort Smith def. Cisco Junior College, 3-0

No. 7 UA Fort Smith def. No. 23 Tyler Junior College, 3-0

No. 7 UA Fort Smith vs. Seminole State College, 3-0

Court 2

No. 23 Tyler Junior College def. Seminole State College, 3-0

Seminole State College def. Cisco Junior College, 3-2

No. 23 Tyler Junior College vs. Cisco Junior College, 3-0

Saturday

Court 1

Tyler Junior College vs. Cisco Junior College, 10 a.m.

Tyler Junior College vs. Seminole State College, noon

Tyler Junior College vs. UA Fort Smith, 3 p.m.

Court 2

UA Fort Smith vs. Seminole State College, 10 a.m.

UA Fort Smith vs. Cisco Junior College, noon

Seminole State College vs. Cisco Junior College, 3 p.m.

Now, some 11 seasons later, she’s readying her Lady Lions for their final Bi-State Conference season and their last junior college season, period.

UA Fort Smith will end its long history with the NJCAA after this year and join the NCAA Division II ranks, but the Lady Lions will no doubt leave an indelible mark on the Bi-State Conference, which will dwindle to only three teams after this season.

“I feel truly blessed to have started this program and to have worked with the players, coaches and fans for the past ten years,” Sargent said. “Together we have built a program we can surely be proud of.”

The Lady Lions have never finished worse than second in the regular-season title chase and won the league title seven times, including a current streak of five-consecutive championships.

They have appeared in all 10 region tournament championship matches and have won five titles, including three in a row.

UA Fort Smith has compiled an impressive 68-8 record in regular-season conference play and has never had more than two conference losses during the regular season.

The Lady Lions also have proven to be great ambassadors for the region on the national level. Their No. 4 national ranking in the 2007 final regular-season poll was the highest ranking ever earned by a region team, and their seventh-place finish in the 2005 national tournament was the best finish ever for a conference team.

“It might have taken us a time or two to get it right, but once we did, we have become the dominant team to beat year in and year out,” Sargent said.

The Lady Lions will open the season Friday when they host the UA Fort Smith Invitational at the Stubblefield Center. UA Fort Smith will open the four-team, round-robin affair against Cisco Junior College at 10 a.m.

Second-round action will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday.

The Lady Lions will enter their final season of NJCAA play with one of their youngest teams in the history of the program. Only three players – one starter and one part-time starter – return from last year’s team that finished 39-7, won the Bi-State Conference and the region tournament and finished eighth in the national tournament.

Sophomore setter Lucia Najselova started 146 games – second-most on the team – a year ago and led the team in assists (1,447) and was ranked No. 28 in the nation in assists per game (9.9) during the regular-season.

Najselova, who is from Nitra, Slovakia, transferred to the University of New Orleans following the fall semester but has returned to UA Fort Smith this fall.

“Lucia is coming off a great freshman season as our starting setter. Last season she led us in assists and serves aces and was a formidable block on the right side,” Sargent said. “We again look for her to do great things with both our offense and defense.” Sophomore defensive specialist Janie Price played in 121 games last season as a part-time starter. She was fifth on the team in digs (221) and seventh on the team in kills (95). Price, who is from Fort Smith, also had nine assists and 14 blocks.

“We switched Janie last year to the defensive specialist position, and boy, did she respond,” Sargent said. “Janie had a great year as a freshman and that’s saying a lot considering we took her out of her comfort zone. We don’t exactly give freshman many free passes. We will again look to Janie for our serve/receive defensive needs.”

Sophomore outside hitter Morgan Banner had a promising freshman season cut short by a knee injury after playing only 27 games, but Sargent said Banner, who’s from Southlake, Texas, gained a lot of experience just from sitting courtside a year ago.

“After a long period of rehab, Mo is back and ready to go,” Sargent said. “Ten months without volleyball … you can imagine how ready she is for the season to start.”

Banner will be joined at outside hitter by freshmen Heidi Luks of Tallinn, Estonia, and Keely Rivera of Baytown, Texas; and sophomore transfer Fabiane Nass of Santa Catarina, Brazil.

Nass, who played at Columbia (Mo.) College last season, is the sister of former UA Fort Smith men’s basketball player Fabio Nass, who went on to play at the University of Miami (Fla.).

The Lady Lions will feature an entirely new corps of middle hitters after the graduation of Megan Doherty and Jenny Naramore, who were ranked Nos. 2 and 3 in the nation, respectively, in blocks a year ago.

Freshmen Jessica Guenette of Lavaca, Ark.; Jettie Stec of Fort Smith, Ashley Saunders of Waco, Texas; and Chantlee Nash of Fayetteville, Ark., will be battling for playing time at the two middle hitter spots.

UA Fort Smith will be solid at setter with Najselova returning, but freshman Kaylen Bolten of Fort Worth, Texas, will battle for playing time.

UA FORT SMITH INVITATIONAL

At Stubblefield Center

Friday, Aug. 22

Court 1

UA Fort Smith vs. Cisco Junior College, 10 a.m.

UA Fort Smith vs. Tyler Junior College, noon

UA Fort Smith vs. Seminole State College, 3 p.m.

Court 2

Tyler Junior College vs. Seminole State College, 10 a.m.

Seminole State College vs. Cisco Junior College, noon

Tyler Junior College vs. Cisco Junior College, 3 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 23

Court 1

Tyler Junior College vs. Cisco Junior College, 10 a.m.

Tyler Junior College vs. Seminole State College, noon

Tyler Junior College vs. UA Fort Smith, 3 p.m.

Court 2

UA Fort Smith vs. Seminole State College, 10 a.m.

UA Fort Smith vs. Cisco Junior College, noon

Seminole State College vs. Cisco Junior College, 3 p.m.

Najselova, a 5-foot-9 sophomore from Nitra, Slovakia, was recently named a first-team NJCAA Division I Preseason All-American and was one of only six to earn the coveted distinction.

She is the first Lady Lion to earn preseason All-American honors since 2006, when Camilla Pagnan earned the distinction. Pagnan, who is a senior at NCAA Division II Barry University, was a three-time NJCAA All-American and a two-time AVCA All-American.

“It will be a motivating factor for her,” UA Fort Smith coach Jane Sargent said. “We’ve talked about it, and she’s pretty humble about it. … The setter is kind of the unsung hero on the team.”

Najselova enjoyed a stellar freshman season a year ago, averaging 9.9 assists, 2.16 digs, 0.96 kills and 0.57 aces per game. She helped lead the Lady Lions to the Bi-State Conference regular-season championship, the Region II tournament championship and an eighth-place finish in the national tournament.

She is the only Bi-State Conference player to earn preseason All-American honors.

Joining Najselova on the first team is Emily Calderon of Hillsborough Community College, Kayleigh Giddens of Frank Phillips College, Allyson Goldbach of Florida Community College, Rosa Medrano of Miami-Dade College and Alyssa Wistrick of College of Southern Idaho.

Apparently, the Lady Lions’ reputation of being one of the nation’s best programs year-in and year-out carries a lot of weight with the pollsters.

UA Fort Smith is ranked seventh in the recently released NJCAA Division I preseason poll. It is the Lady Lions’ highest preseason ranking since 2006, when they were ranked fourth. UA Fort Smith is the only Region II team ranked in the Top 25.

“I’m very pleased with our ranking, considering we lost so many players,” UA Fort Smith coach Jane Sargent said. “I’m really happy to be ranked in the Top 10 so early.”

Miami-Dade College is the preseason top-ranked team after finishing 33-1 a year ago. The Lady Sharks’ only loss was a 3-1 setback to Western Nebraska Community College in last fall’s national championship match.

Frank Phillips College, College of Southern Idaho, Iowa Western Community College, Blinn College, Salt Lake Community College, UA Fort Smith, Missouri State University - West Plains, Arizona Western College and Hillsborough College round out the Top 10.

The preseason poll isn’t without a few surprises.

Defending national champ Western Nebraska Community College isn’t ranked, Barton County Community College, which finished ninth in the nation a year ago, isn’t ranked and perennial national tournament qualifier Hutchinson Community College isn’t ranked either.

“That’s not how it will play out,” said Sargent of the preseason rankings. “Several teams were slighted.”

After only one season as head coach at Midland College, former UA Fort Smith Lady Lion and Southside Confederette Kim Boone has the Lady Chaparrals attracting some national attention, too.

Midland College is ranked 20th in the preseason poll after finishing 20-16 a year ago.

“It went well,” Sargent said. “The girls did a great job of bonding, and that’s really important when you’re coaching girls.”

Sargent restructured her practice format from that of years past, opting for two-a-day practices instead of her traditional three-a-day practices. Sargent said the Lady Lions actually got more work in during the two-a-day practices, which last three hours apiece.

The Lady Lions focused on fundamentals during the morning sessions, while putting more of an emphasis on team play during the afternoon sessions.

“We had a few controlled scrimmages during the afternoon sessions,” Sargent said.

The Lady Lions boast almost an entirely new roster – only sophomores Janie Price of Fort Smith and Lucia Najselova of Nitra, Slovakia; and redshirt freshman Morgan Banner of Southlake, Texas, return – so naturally there have been a few pleasant surprises.

Sophomore transfer Fabiane Nass of Santa Catarina, Brazil, the younger sister of former UA Fort Smith men’s basketball player Fabio Nass, has “been a real surprise defensively,” Sargent said.

Sargent also praised the play of freshman Jettie Stec of Fort Smith. Stec, a former Southside Confederette, has made a strong first impression with her hitting ability.

“Jettie has been the most impressive,” Sargent said. “She’s really tearing it up.”

Sargent said UA Fort Smith will continue preseason practice this week with little change.

“It will be identical to what we did this week,” Sargent said. “We’re also going to continue with three days of conditioning and three days of weight training.”

The Lady Lions will open the season on Aug. 22 when they host a two-day tournament at the Stubblefield Center. The tournament field will include Seminole State College, Tyler Junior College and Cisco Junior College.

Yet, she still can’t help but get a little excited about the start of a preseason practice.

“I’m always excited about a brand new season. You just can’t beat a new beginning. It’s like Christmas morning walking into practice and seeing all the eager faces and then finding out just what gifts everyone was given,” Sargent said.

“I love all the preparation it takes to make the season special from getting the locker room ready to ordering uniforms to everything in between. It’s the best time to dream of all the possibilities and the best time to start working towards those goals.”

Sargent’s Lady Lions will report Sunday for physicals and a team meeting before beginning preseason workouts on Monday. Sargent expects all of the Lady Lions to report on time, including international players Heidi Luks of Tallinn, Estonia and Lucia Najselova of Nitra, Slovakia.

“Barring any delays or missed flights, we will be ready to start on Monday,” Sargent said.

Sargent has restructured her preseason practice schedule from that of the past few years. Instead of her usual three-a-day practices, the veteran coach has scaled back workouts to just two a day.

“The hours that we put in will be the same. My former players are saying I’m going soft and becoming easy in my old age, but there is never anything easy about preseason practices,” Sargent said.

“Our athletes will be sore in muscles they don’t even know they have. Preseason is one of the most important aspects of the season since it sets the tone for just how demanding and fast-paced the collegiate game really is.”

Sargent said her preseason workout regimen will focus on fundamentals, team dynamics and, of course, conditioning.

“It’s really a short amount of time to get everyone to buy into both our offensive and defensive systems,” Sargent said. “Preseason is also one of the best times for your athletes to bond and develop the tools necessary to get them through the ups and downs of a season.”

UA Fort Smith will begin the season on Aug. 22 when it hosts a season-opening, two-day tournament at the Stubblefield Center. It will be the 11th volleyball season for UA Fort Smith and Sargent, who is the only coach in the program’s history, and the Lady Lions’ final season as a member of NJCAA and the Bi-State Conference.

UA Fort Smith is in the process of becoming a member of NCAA Division II and recently was granted permission by the NCAA to advance to the second year of the three-year membership process.