COMMERCE - After a 2-1 week at home, the Texas A&M University-Commerce volleyball team is headed to North Carolina for the Pirate Invitational this weekend, facing Western Carolina, East Carolina, and North Carolina A&T this weekend.
LIONS' WEEKEND SCHEDULE
| Date |
Opponent |
Coverage |
| Friday • 11 a.m. EDT (10 a.m. CDT) |
vs. Western Carolina |
Live Stats |
| Friday • 7 p.m. EDT (6 p.m. CDT) |
at East Carolina |
Watch (ESPN+) | Live Stats |
| Saturday • 11 a.m. EDT (10 a.m. CDT) |
vs. North Carolina A&T |
Live Stats |
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 is the program's best start to a season since the spring 2021 season. The Lions have not started 3-1 or better since 2019.
SMITH CATCHES FIRE
Jade Smith (Houston - Mayde Creek) totaled 79 digs in the three matches last weekend 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 of the year. She had 29 in the win over Central Arkansas and 23 in the win over Tarleton.
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 return home to Texas for their next six matches, competing at the Fight In the Fort at TCU next week. A&M-Commerce goes up against TCU, UCLA, and Prairie View A&M next weekend in Fort Worth.
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.
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
Last Saturday 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
Western Carolina competed at North Carolina last weekend in the Carolina Classic and went 0-3, falling to the College of Charleston, Cleveland State, and the hosts, Tar Heels. The Catamounts went 10-18 a year ago, losing in the SoCon tournament to Wofford. This season, Ali Morris leads the team with 30 kills, while Bailey Hartsough has team-best 41 digs.
The Pirates took all three matches at the Seahawk Classic, hosted by UNCW last week, beating Queens, Seahawks, and Loyola-Maryland. Right side hitter Fran McBride was named the tournament's MVP after hitting .313 with an average of 2.82 kills and 0.82 blocks per set, while middle blocker Carlia Northcross was also named to the all-tournament team, hitting .436 on the weekend. The Pirates went 21-11 a year ago, falling to Georgia Southern in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship second round last season.
North Carolina A&T faced NC Central twice last week, winning both matches, one at home and another on the road. The Aggies went 8-18 last season, competing in the Coastal Athletic Assocation (CAA). Tyne Ross has team-high 29 kills, which is more than double her teammates, while Valerie Estrada picked up 23 digs.
The Lions are playing each of the opponents this week for the first time.
-TAMUC-
