COMMERCE – The A&M-Commerce Lions will play their second series of the 2021 spring season, taking on fellow undefeated foe UT Tyler in the first two of four matches this season.
 
WHO: A&M-Commerce at UT Tyler
WHERE: Tyler | Louise Herrington Patriot Center
WHEN: 6 p.m. on Tuesday, February 9 and Wednesday, February 10
RECORDS: A&M-Commerce is 2-0 on the season, while UT Tyler is 4-0.
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
 
After one week:
A&M-Commerce is led by 11th-year head coach Craig Case, who is the winningest coach in program history. His record at A&M-Commerce stands at 186-127 entering the year after the second win over DBU.
 
The Lions were divisional champions in 2019 and qualified for the NCAA Division II Championship.
 
Sydney Andersen (Placentia, Calif.) was the Lions' top all-around performer in the first series, earning LSC Defensive Player of the Week honors, recording a pair of double-doubles in the pair of five-set wins over DBU. In the Tuesday match, she hit .151 with 16 kills, 20 digs and four service aces. She followed that up Wednesday with 13 kills, 20 digs, and an ace.
 
She also had 37 service receptions without an error and chipped in on three blocks, while holding DBU to a .099 hitting percentage, giving A&M-Commerce second in the league in opponent hitting percentage.
 
Riley Davidson (Commerce) ranks eighth in the LSC in digs per set at 4.40, leading the team with 44 total digs.
 
Taryn Cast (Peaster) leads the LSC in hitting percentage at .412 with 19 kills and five errors on 34 attempts.
  
On the opponent…
UT Tyler is 4-0 with series sweeps of DBU and Texas Woman's. The Patriots lead the league in hitting at .273, while A&M-Commerce ranks second in the LSC in hitting defense, allowing .099 hitting percentage.
 
The Patriots have two players averaging over three kills per set in Mikayla Ware (3.60 k/s, .220) and Evelyn Torres (3.30 k/s, .342). Hattie Murray ranks fourth in the LSC in blocks (1.40 b/s).
 
On the series history…
The Lions and Patriots have met three times previously, with the Lions taking all three matches in sweeps. A&M-Commerce won one match in an early season tournament in 2006, then swept the home-and-home series in 2019 in UTT's first year in the league.