COMMERCE - The Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball team plays its final three non-conference matches of the season this week at the Cougar Challenge in Houston, which includes two Power Four conference teams.
LIONS' WEEKEND SCHEDULE
TOUGH PATCH ON THE ROAD
The Lions started the season 2-1 at home as part of the Lion Invitational, but are still searching for their road win, after falling in all three matches at both the Pirate Invitational in East Carolina and the Fight In the Forth, hosted by TCU. The six-match losing streak is the program's longest since the 11-match losing streak to end last season and this year's season opener.
STRONG START TO THE SEASON
After dropping the season opener to Little Rock, the Lions caught fire to down Central Arkansas in five sets and Tarleton in four to start 2-1 to start the season, which was the program's best start to a season since the spring 2021 season.
SMITH CATCHES FIRE
Jade Smith (Houston - Mayde Creek) totaled 79 digs in the three matches at the Lion Invitational, recording just three receiving errors, which was the best in the Southland. As a result, Smith was named the conference's first Defensive Player of the Week, the first of the year. She had 29 in the win over Central Arkansas and 23 in the win over Tarleton. She was also named to the all-tournament team at TCU.
WILKS CAN'T MISS
Avery Wilks (Mont Belvieu - Barbers Hill) was near-perfect in the win over the Texans, recording 10 kills in 11 attempts. For her performance in the Lion win, Wilks was named to the Lion Invitational All-Tournament team.
RARE START AT HOME
The Lion Invitational marked the first time the Lions are beginning the season at home in a non-COVID affected season since 2009. The other three teams in the Lion Invitational are Little Rock, Central Arkansas, and Tarleton. The last time the Lions opened at home was the spring 2021 season.
WHAT IS NEXT FOR THE LIONS
The Lions play three matches next week to begin Southland Conference play, heading to Northwestern State and hosting UIW and McNeese.
HELLO NEW LIONS
This season, the Lions debut nine newcomers in the lineup. Of the nine newcomers, two are freshmen, while seven are transfers. The freshmen for the program this year are
Semaj Cox (Missouri City - Elkins) and
Nevaeh Smith (San Antonio - O'Connor), while the transfers are
Ellie Baumert (Dodge, Neb.) from Texas Tech,
Brooke Box (Klein Collins) from UTRGV,
Kylie Bray (Concordia Lutheran) from Blinn College,
Gracie Campbell (Klein Oak),
Savannah Jennings (Rosehill Christian) from Lee,
MJ Klaumann (Emerald Isle, N.C.) from USC Upstate, and
Maselina Tuufuli (Saint Hedwig - Steele) from Pepperdine.
Baumert, Campbell, and Tuufuli competed for the Lions during the spring season.
GOING STREAKING
This season, the Lions are looking to make the postseason for the 13
th season in a row, which is the longest active streak of any program at A&M-Commerce.
TIDE ROLLED
Last season, 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. This Saturday's matchup against Ole Miss marks the first meeting against a SEC opponent since then.
BLAZERS TAMED
Last year, 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 NEW-LOOK SOUTHLAND
The Southland Conference adds two members this season in Stephen F. Austin and UTRGV. In the preseason SLC poll, the Ladyjacks, a 2023 NCAA Tournament participant, were picked to win the SLC, while the Vaqueros were picked second. The Lions were picked 10th by the conference's head coaches and sports information directors.
2024 Preseason Southland Volleyball Poll
- SFA – 233 (17)
- UTRGV – 212 (3)
- Southeastern – 207 (2)
- Texas A&M-Corpus Christi – 198
- HCU – 159 (2)
- McNeese – 144
- Northwestern State – 120
- UIW – 89
- New Orleans – 74
- A&M-COMMERCE – 70
- Lamar – 53
- Nicholls – 25
SUCCESS IN THE CLASSROOM
This offseason, the Lions once again received the AVCA Team Academic Award, marking the seventh consecutive year that the Lions received the award, while also being among the top 20 percent in NCAA Division I.
RIVALRY RE-IGNITED WITH THE TEXANS
August 31 marked a historic moment for the Lions as they hosted Tarleton for the first time since 2018, the two rivals had played five times since, with four of the matches in Stephenville and a 3-0 win for the Texans at UAB last season. The Lions are now 2-1 over the Texans in the Division I era for both teams, while the Texans are 24-23 all-time against the Lions.
SCOUTING THE COMPETITION
The weekend begins in primetime for the Lions against Houston in the first ever meeting between the two programs. The Cougars are 3-4 on the season, having lost three in a row, but are receiving votes in the latest AVCA rankings. The three losses were to two-time defending champion Texas, No. 7 Purdue, and SMU, who at the time was receiving votes. Houston played in the NCAA Tournament a year ago, falling to No. 2 seed Stanford on the road. Angela Grieve is averaging 3.6 kills per set to lead the team, while Kate Georgiades is averaging team-best 5.0 digs per set.
On Friday, Tennessee State and A&M-Commerce meet for the first time on the volleyball court. The Tigers are 4-6 on the season, with wins over Mississippi Valley State, South Carolina State, Bethune Cookman, and UT Southern. Both Jayla Holcombe and Celestial Miller are averaging over 2.0 kills per set, with Holcombe averaging 3.0 kills and Miller averaging 2.7. Defensively, Hadley Pride is the team leader in digs with an average of 4.3 digs per set.
The Rebels have jumped out to a 7-2 start this season and meeting the Lions for the second time, after A&M-Commerce picked up a three-set win in Searcy, Arkansas, on August 28, 1998. Ole Miss' notable non-conference wins include Florida Gulf Coast and a three-set win over Little Rock. The Rebels are holding opponents to hit .141, which is 15th best in the country. Shayla Meyer leads the way with an average of 3.2 kills per set, while both Payton Brgoch and Sasha Ratliff are averaging over one block per set, and Cammy Niesen is averaging 4.2 digs per set.
-TAMUC-
