COMMERCE – The Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball team has its first traditional homestand of the season, hosting UIW and A&M-Corpus Christi in the Field House this weekend.
 
LIONS' WEEKEND SCHEDULE

Date	Time	Opponent	Coverage
Thursday, Oct. 5	6:30 p.m.	UIW (Pink Out)	ESPN+ | Live Stats
Saturday, Oct. 7	2 p.m.	A&M-Corpus Christi	ESPN+ | Live Stats

 
PINK OUT MATCH
Thursday is the annual Pink Out match for the Lions. All fans attending Thursday's match are encouraged to wear pink for breast cancer awareness. A limited number of free pink t-shirts will be given away on first come first serve basis.
 
WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE LIONS
The Lions face defending Southland champion, HCU, in Houston on October 12, and host Lamar on October 14.
 
STREAK BREAKERS
The Lions beat Northwestern State in five sets last Tuesday to halt the Lady Demons' seven-match winning streak. That was the second time this season that the Lions ended a streak of six or matches, having beaten Alabama, who was 6-0 at the time.
 
A WIN OVER THE LAMAR CARDINALS
The Lions took the win over Lamar in five sets for the first conference win of the season, it was the first win in Beaumont since the program's move up to Division I.

YOU CAN'T TOUCH THIS
Millie Allgood (Sherwood, Ark.) has served up 17 aces this season. She is sixth in the Southland Conference for that category. 
 
NO…NO…NOT TODAY!
Deja Benjamin (Pearland – Shadows Creek) has recorded 53 blocks on the season, which puts her tied for fourth in the SLC this season. Avery Wilks (Mont Belvieu – Barber Hills) is tied for eighth with 39.
 
SMITH KEEPS SHINING
Libero Jade Smith (Mayde Creek), a Temple College transfer, shined bright in her debut by earning UTSA Invitational all-tournament honors after the first week of the season. She has 275
digs on the season, which is second in the SLC.
 
TIDE ROLLED
A&M-Commerce downed Alabama in a five-set match on September 8 for A&M-Commerce's first win over a Power Five conference opponent. The Lions fell behind 2-1 in the match, but took the final two sets. It is the first ever win over an SEC opponent in school history in any sport.
 
BLAZERS TAMED
The Lions followed the win over Alabama with a win over UAB the next day. The Blazers took the first set, but A&M-Commerce took the next three sets, including a comeback from being down 23-17 in the second set.
 
A THRILLING WIN IN ABILENE
The Lions fought till the end and pulled out a five-set win over Abilene Christian, which was the first meeting between the two former conference rivals since 2012. A&M-Commerce has won three straight meetings against the Wildcats.
 
AN UTTER DOMINANCE OF THE TIGERS
The Lions hit .321 percent in the win over Texas Southern, which is the third highest in the program's Division I era and it was the first three-set win since October 29, 2022.
 
NEW ERA BEGINS WITH A BANG
Joe Morales began his tenure as the Lions coach at the UTSA Invitational and it did not take long for him to earn his first career head coaching win. A&M-Commerce swept Texas Southern in their second match of the season.
 
NEW FACES ON THE BENCH
Morales is joined by Morgan Williams on the coaching staff as an assistant coach, while Makenna Hanssen returns as the program's graduate assistant coach.
 
INTERNATIONAL LOVE
Four countries are represented on the 2023 roster for the Lions. Fourteen players are from the United States, while one each hail from Brazil, Poland, and Germany.
 
GOING STREAKING
This season, the Lions are looking to make the postseason for the 12^th season in a row, which is the longest active streak of any program at A&M-Commerce.
 
BUILDING UPON 2022
Last season was A&M-Commerce's first season in NCAA Division I and the Southland Conference. The season was filled with many historical wins for the Lions, who beat Prairie View A&M for their first Division I win, swept Southeastern, who won the 2023 SLC Tournament and played in the NCAA Tournament, and downed New Orleans in the SLC Tournament.
 
SOUTHLAND PRESEASON POLL
Entering their second season in the Southland Conference, the Lions were picked seventh in the preseason conference poll.
 

1.	HCU (8)	120
2.	Southeastern Louisiana (8)	118
3.	Texas A&M-Corpus Christi	96
4.	McNeese	93
5.	Northwestern State	82
6.	UIW	58
7.	A&M-COMMERCE	55
8.	New Orleans	53
9.	Nicholls	23
10.	Lamar	22

 
SCOUTING THE COMPETITION
UIW is 9-8 on the season and 1-4 in Southland Conference play. The Cardinals collected a 3-0 win at Nicholls last Saturday, which snapped a four-match losing streak. A&M-Commerce won both meetings over UIW last season and has won five straight meetings.
 
Allison Palmi is the team leader with 165 kills for an average of 2.89 kills per set. Natalie Kimmel has 350 assists, Mariela Nieto has 155 digs, and Kade Thomas has 53 blocks. The Cardinals are under the leadership of first year coach Gabryel Ording.
 
The Islanders enter this week, sitting a half-match back of Southeastern for the SLC lead. A&M-Corpus Christi is 9-8 overall and 4-1 in SLC matches. The Islanders won both meetings over the Lions last season and are currently riding a three-match winning streak.
 
Kyndal Payne (Offensive) and Belle Morgan (Setter) are the reigning Southland Players of the Week. This season, A&M-Corpus Christi has earned five weekly honors with Morgan having earned three Setter of the Week awards. She has 579 assists on the season, which is 90 more than any other setter in the conference. Payne is the kills leader in the conference with 233. Kayla White is averaging 4.63 digs per set in conference play.