COMMERCE – The Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball teams head back on the road to Alabama for the Blazer Classic, facing some familiar competition.
LIONS' WEEKEND SCHEDULE IN BIRMINGHAM
WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE LIONS
The Lions play their first Southland Conference match next week when they host McNeese on Thursday. A&M-Commerce faces UNT and UT Arlington at the UTA Invitational on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
YOU CAN'T TOUCH THIS
Reese Fetty (Farmersville) has served up 12 aces this season, including six last week. She is the Southland Conference leader in the category.
A THRILLING WIN IN ABILENE
The Lions fought till the end and pulled out a five-set win over Abilene Christian last Tuesday, 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.
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 122 digs on the season, including 27 against Prairie View A&M, to lead the SLC.
NEW ERA BEGINS WITH A BANG
Joe Morales began his tenure as the Lions coach last week 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
In what could be considered the most intense rivalry between A&M-Commerce and Tarleton in any sport, the volleyball programs meet for the 56
th time, but first time on a neutral site since 2013. The Lions took a thrilling five-set win in Stephenville last season and have won two in a row over the Texans.
TSU is 3-4 on the season, including a win over SLC team, Lamar. Allison Bryant has 97 kills to lead the Texans, while Megan Hodges has 180 assists, Emma Burke has 30 blocks, and Matti Theurer has 86 digs.
When the Lions face Alabama on Friday afternoon, that is the first time that A&M-Commerce has played a Southeastern Conference (SEC) opponent in the regular season. The Crimson Tide are off to a 6-0 start to the season. Kendyl Reaugh has picked up 64 kills on the season, Callie Kieffer has 198 assists, and Sydney Gholson leads the way with 64 digs.
UAB is 2-4 on the season so far, with the wins coming over Florida A&M and SIU Edwardsville, both were five-set wins. Kelsey Smith is the team leader in kills with 73, Lidya Canturk has 236 assists, while Anna Burkhardt has 123 digs on the season.
-TAMUC-
