The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff volleyball team hits the road this week for a big SWAC conference matchup.  The Lady Lions will face Jackson St. at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday at 6 p.m., at the T.B. Ellis Gymnasium.

Due to inclement weather over the past two weeks, this will be the first match for Lady Lions in 17 days.

"Being that we had a long layoff over something we can't control, the ladies are still excited to be back on the court," said UAPB head coach Chelsey Lucas. "This is an opportunity to do something we love, but we got to come in ready to play from the start to the end."

"We tried to get a few practices in during the delay, but as we stay focus, I'm continuing to see a lot of growth in the players, and we're starting to play as a unit as the conference tournament approaches."

Junior Haley Gomez and sophomore Zyonn Smith, along with the rest of the squad, played a huge key in UAPB's winning two of the last three matches before their previous two cancellation matches due to inclement weather.  

Gomez, the 2021 Preseason Block of the Year, leads the SWAC Conference in blocks with a total of 27 and blocks per set at 1.59.  Smith ranks second in the conference with kills per set, averaging 3.71 and first in points per set, averaging 4.15.

Sophomore Nikole Akamine leads the conference with 85 assists, averaging 5.0 assists per set, followed by Junior Kaila Robinson, who ranks second in the conference with 59 digs, averaging 3.47 per set. 

Jackson St. is coming into the match riding a four-game winning streak, led by Jylen Whitten on the offensive side with a total of 49 kills, averaging 3.50 kills per set.