COMMERCE – After long last, the Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball team will kick off its 2021 spring season this week, hosting Dallas Baptist University for a pair of matches.
 
WHO: DBU at A&M-Commerce
WHERE: Commerce | The Field House
WHEN: 6 p.m. on Tuesday, February 2 and Wednesday, February 3
RECORDS: This is A&M-Commerce's first series of the season. DBU is 0-2 overall and 0-2 in the Lone Star Conference.
RANKINGS: A&M-Commerce is receiving votes in the AVCA Preseason Poll.

TELEVISION/LIVE VIDEO: LSC Digital Network
LIVE STATS: http://statbroadcast.com/events/statmonitr.php?gid=tame
 
Going into the year… 
A&M-Commerce is led by 11^th-year head coach Craig Case, who is the longest-tenured coach in program history. With two more wins, he will becoming the winningest coach in program history. His record at A&M-Commerce stands at 184-127 entering the year.
 
The Lions were divisional champions in 2019 and qualified for the NCAA Division II Championship. They are on the hunt for another divisional championship, competing for the Central Division with 12 total matches against DBU, Texas Woman's, and UT Tyler.
 
One of the top returning offensive weapons for the Lions will be Sydney Andersen (Placentia, Calif.), who was an AVCA Honorable Mention All-American and Second Team All-LSC performer in 2019. Andersen had a stellar debut season for the Lions, as she was a formidable hitter all season. She led the team and was fifth in the LSC in kills, and also ranked in the top 10 in hitting percentage among outside hitters. She also finished in the top 10 in the league in points scored, recording 73 blocks on the year. She was also used as a six-rotation player at spots, tallying 91 digs on the year. She had 21 matches with at least 10 kills, including 24 kills in the Lions' LSC Tournament match, while also hitting better than .300 in 14 different contests.
 
Celeste Vela (Guadalajara, Mexico) was also a Second Team All-LSC honoree. She had 522 assists, averaging more than seven assists per set in the Lions; 6-2 offense. She had more than 20 assist in 15 of her 21 matches played, and also had three double-doubles with double-figures in dig.
 
Other standout returners include seniors Riley Davidson (Commerce), Destiny Greenwood (Fairfield, Calif.), and Keziah Williams (Branson, Mo.).
  
On the opponent…
The DBU Patriots lost a pair of matches to UT Tyler in the first week of the season. The Patriots' leading hitters were Savannah Whitfield (2.86 kills/set, .100) and Bailey Hebert (2.14 kills/set, .066). Setting duties have been split between Macey Winburn (4.43 assists/set) and Kayla Brock (4.29 assists/set). Alyssa Pevehouse averaged 6.0 digs/set as the top defender. DBU averaged less than a block per set at the net.
 
On the series history…
The Lions and Patriots have met 32 times previously, with A&M-Commerce holding a 24-8 record in the series. The Lions have won six straight matchups, with the last Patriot win coming in 2014. The Lions are 12-4 all-time against DBU in the Field House.