COMMERCE– The Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball team will host its final two home matches of the regular season over the weekend. The Lions will face UT Permian Basin on Friday and West Texas A&M on Saturday.
 
WHO: Texas A&M-Commerce (18-10, 13-5 LSC) UT Permian Basin (4-23, 1-17 LSC)
WHERE: The Field House in Commerce, Texas
WHEN: Friday, Oct. 10 at 7 p.m.
LIVE STATS: Click HERE
LIVE VIDEO: lionathletics.com/live
TICKETS: Click HERE
 
WHO: Texas A&M-Commerce vs. West Texas A&M (19-11, 11-7 LSC)
WHERE: The Field House in Commerce, Texas
WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 11 at 2 p.m.
LIVE STATS: Click HERE
LIVE VIDEO: lionathletics.com/live
TICKETS: Click HERE
 
The Lions are coming off their toughest road trip of the season. The Lions split the weekend, falling to Western New Mexico on Friday before bouncing back with a win over Eastern New Mexico on Saturday. Head coach Craig Case liked how his team was able to refocus on Saturday and overcome the conditions of travel.
 
"We were all a little frustrated in how we played against Western New Mexico," he said. "It was a combination of them playing really well and we just played ok. We didn't play terribly. I thought the gals did a great job of refocusing, knowing there was nothing we could do about it so let's focus on Eastern New Mexico and get at least one out of this trip. I think from a mental toughness standpoint, I was really proud of the team. It is a tough road trip and I am glad we were able to get at least one out of the two."
 
The Lions now face back-to-back home matches to close out the regular season. The Lions will first face UT Permian Basin. A&M-Commerce was able to sweep the Falcons on the road earlier in the season but Case said it wasn't an easy match for the team and he expects another fight against a talented team.
 
"UTPB doesn't have as many wins as they would like but they still have a lot of good volleyball players on their team," Case said. "The first time we played them there, we had our hands full and were very lucky to get away with a sweep. We are expecting that to be a tough match."
 
The Lions then close out the regular season with an important match against West Texas A&M. The Lions need one win to cement themselves into second place in the standings and are looking for a sweep to continue their push in the regional rankings. WT is ranked just below the Lions in both the conference and regional standings. A&M-Commerce defeated WT in five sets on the road earlier in the season and Case knows that the Lady Buffs will be coming in fired up in the rematch.
 
"I'm sure everyone on their team remembers our five-set match there and I think everyone on our team remembers that five-set match," he said. "We know how good they are. West Texas is playing great right now. They are making a good push to try and finish as high as they can in the conference standings as well as the regional standings. It is going to be a tough weekend. Hopefully we are ready and can play the way we need to at home to continue to move ourselves up in the regional ranks and keep our spot in the conference."
 
The match on Saturday is also Senior Day. Case has seven seniors on this year's team and he sees it as a luxury to have so many experienced players who know what to do and who are leaders on the court and in the locker room.
 
"You can't overvalue how important seniors are," Case said. "They are always an easy place to start if you are trying to change something with the team. Whether it be how our energy is, where our heads are at, where our confidence level is, you can always start with that group and they will be able to disseminate that information and those messages really well.
 
"The volume of seniors speaks a lot about our program and where we are. We are able to bring in players, as freshmen and transfers, and we are able to finish their eligibility and have them graduate. It is going to be a good day for us. Hopefully they lead the charge like they have done all year."
 
Friday's match against UTPB is part of Dollar Night. Tickets for the match will be $1. Friday's match will follow the opening day of the women's basketball team's opening tournament. Saturday's Senior Spike Day match, presented by the Lion Champions Fund, will precede two more women's basketball games.
 
Tickets for the matches are available at WeAreLionsTix.com, by calling (903) 468-8756 or by visiting the Lion Sales & Service Box Office in the Field House.