COMMERCE – The Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball team is set to begin its first Division I season at the US Air Force Academy with the Amy Svoboda Memorial Classic this weekend.
LIONS' WEEKEND SCHEDULE
TICKETS: https://goairforcefalcons.evenue.net/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/SEGetGroupList?groupCode=V&linkID=usaf-athletics&shopperContext=&caller=&appCode=
NEW BEGINNINGS
Thursday's match marks the first match in Division I for the Lions, when they take on the Falcons. This is the first time since the formation of the volleyball program that the Lions have switched conferences.
Coach
Craig Case enters his 13
th season in Commerce and is now the longest tenured coach across any sport at A&M-Commerce. The Lions have advanced to the conference tournament in each of the past 10 seasons and look to keep the streak later this fall.
ALL-CONFERENCE TALENT RETURNING
Four players that earned all-conference nods last season return for the Lions, including
Celeste Vela (Guadalajara, Mexico), who was named the 2021 Lone Star Conference Setter of the Year and
Maddy Rashford (Placentia, Calif.), who was named to first team all-conference as well.
Essence Allen (Longview – Tatum) and
Lyric Hebert (Arvada, Colo.) earned all-conference honors last season and return as well. The Lions return seven of the top 10 players from last season in terms of sets played.
NEWCOMERS JOINING THE SQUAD
The Lions welcome four newcomers this season in sophomore transfer from Johnson County Community College,
Carley Spachman (Leewood, Kansas), junior transfer from Odessa College,
Yasmin Figueiredo (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), and freshmen
Millie Allgood (Sherwood, Ark.) and
Deja Benjamin (Pearland – Shadow Creek).
PRESEASON CONFERENCE POLL
The Lions were picked to finish seventh in their inaugural season in the Southland Conference. Full poll can be found below.
2022 SLC VOLLEYBALL PRESEASON POLL, PRESENTED BY READY
| Place |
Team (First-place votes) |
Total |
| 1 |
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (13) |
157 |
| 2 |
Houston Baptist (7) |
151 |
| 3 |
Southeastern |
125 |
| 4 |
McNeese |
106 |
| 5 |
UIW |
95 |
| 6 |
Northwestern State |
83 |
| 7 |
A&M-COMMERCE |
54 |
| 8 |
Nicholls |
50 |
| 9 |
New Orleans |
46 |
| 10 |
Lamar |
33 |
SCOUTING THE COMPETITION
The Falcons went 7-21 last fall, failing to make the Mountain West Conference Tournament. Air Force is under the leadership of fourth year coach Keith Burnett and are 24-22 in season openers all time.
The Bulldogs posted a record of 11-15 last season and 6-12 in Missouri Valley Conference. Drake is led by preseason all-conference honoree Haley Bush and is under the guidance of Darrin McBroom, who enters his 10
th season and was the 2021 MVC Coach of the Year.
The Matadors, playing in the Big West conference, went 7-23 last season. Cal State Northridge returns all-Big West honoree Taylor Orshoff and begins a new chapter under first year coach John Price.
-TAMUC-
