COMMERCE– The No. 21 Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball team will host its home opening weekend, beginning Friday. Since the 2016 season, the Lions have a 31-3 record at the Field House, including a 21-1 record over the last two seasons.
 
Game 1: No. 21 A&M-Commerce (5-3) vs. A&M-Kingsville (8-3)
WHEN: Friday, Sept. 20 at 6 p.m.
 
Game 2: A&M-Commerce vs. A&M International (2-5)
WHEN: Saturday, Sept. 21 at 2 p.m.
 
WHERE: The Field House in Commerce, Texas
LIVE STATS: Click HERE
LIVE VIDEO: http://lonestarconferencenetwork.com/commerce
TICKETS: Click HERE
 
The Lions are coming off of a 2-2 weekend at the Colorado Premier Challenge. The Lions faced tough competition in Denver, including three teams currently ranked in the top 25 rankings. Head coach Craig Case liked how his team responded against the tough competition, and knows it will make the team better in the long run.
 
"The reason you play against good teams is to find out what you are not good at. From this last weekend, I was really pleased with our overall play. Despite going 2-2, I thought we were better than we were worse that weekend. I think if we can figure out how to have more consistency across the board, that will clean things up a lot. I wish we had a better record, but I like where this team is heading and hopefully we keep getting better."
 
The Lions picked up a five-set win over Tampa, the defending national champion, and also had a quality win against West Florida. The Lions also took No. 12 Central Missouri to five sets. Case sees this as a positive, because his team is gaining experience in five-set matches against quality opponents.
 
"We are already getting a lot of experience in five-set matches," he said. "But that's good because if you look at most matches at the end of the year, most of them go five. To get a lot of experience early and learn what to do and what not to do and to be able to manage the pressure, that is a valuable lesson against really good teams. To beat Tampa in five, and to lose to Central Missouri in five, both of those are such good teams. We took a lot out of both of those matches."
 
The Lions now get prepared for their first home matches of the season. The Lions will face A&M-Kingsville on Friday and A&M International on Saturday. Case is excited to get home in front of the Lion faithful. In the last three seasons, the Lions have a record of 31-3 at the Field House, and Case credits a large portion of that success to the home court advantage the team enjoys because of the fan base.
 
"The Field House has been kind to us because we have such great fans," he said. "The thing that I love about our fans is they have a lot of faith in us. There have been matches where we have lost the first set, and are down in the second set big, but our fans aren't leaving.
 
"When we are on the road and are up 1-0 and have a big lead in the second set, a lot of times we see people leaving. We have such a great fan base that gets volleyball amd they understand our team and how we will fight until the end. We love to play in front of our fans and are excited be back home."
 
With this game against A&M-Kingsville also marking the first game of the conference season, Case is excited to play against LSC opponents.
 
"Obviously Kingsville is going to play us pretty tough. We beat them in the conference tournament last year, and I'm sure they will remember that and will be fired up. They have had a really good start to this season, and they are good every year. We are opening up with a good team. But in the Lone Star Conference, you don't ever find a match that you are looking forward to. Kingsville plays so much differently than any team we have played so far, so it will be a good challenge."
 
On Saturday, the Lions will then face A&M International in the teams' first every meeting where both are members of the LSC.
 
"Then Texas A&M International, it has been about eight years since they have been here," Case said. "We are familiar with their roster. Between our coaching staff, we have studied a lot of their players during recruiting. We know they are very talented and they are having a good season too. So hopefully we can figure out how to defend our home court this weekend."
 
A&M-Commerce will host 12 home matches during the regular season, including 11 matches against LSC opponents. Season tickets for Lion Volleyball home matches can be purchased at WeAreLionsTix.com, by calling (903) 468-8756, or by visiting the Lion Sales & Service Box Office inside the Field House during business hours.