TYLER, TEXAS – #15 UT Tyler will look to keep pace in the race for Lone Star Conference Postseason Tournament seeding as well as potential 2021 Division II National Tournament bids in home matches against Texas Woman's and DBU this weekend.
 
The Friday and Saturday matches will also serve as the final regular season home stand for the Patriots as the ensuing final three matches of the 2021 schedule will take place on the road. UT Tyler suffered their first loss of the 2021 season and their first regular season loss in the 2021 calendar year last Saturday in 3-1 fashion to then-ranked no. 4 Angelo State.
 
Saturday will celebrate a pair of occasions for UT Tyler volleyball as the team will recognize Callie Craus, Christina Escamilla and Loren Guerra for their annual Senior Day celebration as well as join in on The University of Texas at Tyler's celebration of the 50^th anniversary of the founding of the institution.
 
A RACE TO THE FINISH
 
Last weekend's slate of matches across the Lone Star Conference set the stage for a wild finish with the 2021 LSC Volleyball Championships looming on Nov. 16-20 and the first NCAA Division II South Central Regional rankings set to be released next Wednesday, which will paint a clear picture of where the region's best sit in the eyes of the regional committee. UT Tyler knocked off Lubbock Christian on Friday night in Lubbock, Texas by a 3-1 final, handing the Chaps their first set losses on their home court of the season.
 
The Patriots followed up that win with their first loss of the season, snapping a 27-match regular season winning streak dating back to the 2021 spring slate of games, with a 3-1 loss to Angelo State. The results have created a virtual tie atop the LSC standings with UT Tyler, Angelo State and West Texas A&M all sitting with just one loss in LSC play.
 
The Patriots sit at 11-1 having competed in 12 league games, while West Texas A&M and Angelo State have records of 10-1. UT Tyler holds the first tiebreaker with West Texas A&M having already defeated the Lady Buffs back on Sept. 17, while Angelo State and West Texas A&M have yet to play their match which is scheduled for Nov. 5 in San Angelo, Texas.
 
All three of those programs are still vying for the coveted no. 1 seed in the LSC Postseason Tournament, which would set the program that occupies that top spot in the final regular season standings up to host the quarterfinal, semifinal and final matches of the tournament on Nov. 18-20. The final few matches of the 2021 season will also play heavily into the chances of each team receiving a bid into the NCAA Division II National Tournament.
 
Both the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) and the LSC will receive automatic qualifiers into the South Central Region Tournament with winners of their respective postseason tournaments automatically receiving a bid into the eight-team regional field. The final six teams of the field will be selected by virtue of the top six final remaining teams in the South Central Regional rankings at season's end.
 
The first edition of that regional ranking will be released next Wednesday, Nov. 3^rd, making it imperative for the Patriots to get back to their dominant ways that they have showcased all season.
 
STAYING PUT
 
The overall body of work for UT Tyler is still one of the more impressive resumes in Division II volleyball up to this point, leading to the Patriots remaining in their no. 15 spot in the latest 2021 AVCA Division II National Coaches Top 25 Poll. UT Tyler has won 46 of their 54 sets played in 2021, has swept eight Lone Star Conference opponents by 3-0 finals and ranks third in all of Division II volleyball with an average of 15.00 kills per set.
 
The three LSC frontrunners remained as the three ranked teams from the league as Angelo State dropped down to no. 6 after their Friday loss against Texas A&M-Commerce on their home floor, and West Texas A&M remained at no. 25.
 
RISING TO THE OCCASION AGAINST THE LEAGUE'S BEST
 
Senior Mikayla Ware and junior Savannah Guzman rose to the occasion throughout UT Tyler's biggest tests of the 2021 season in last weekend's road trip to Lubbock Christian and Angelo State. Ware totaled 33 kills between the two matches, notching 17 in Friday's win against the Lady Chaps and 16 on Saturday afternoon against the Rambelles.
 
Both Ware and Guzman were fantastic defensively in the two matches, as Ware added 17 digs in Friday's match for the double-double and nearly reached double-double figures on Saturday as well with nine digs. Guzman's weekend was highlighted by a career-high 33 digs on Friday night and then followed up with a 13-dig effort against Angelo State.
 
Both Ware and Guzman have proven time and time again to be two of the most reliable options for head coach Lyndsay Mashe throughout the 2021 season. Evelyn Torres, Maiya Peña, Christina Escamilla and Hannah Callison will be looked upon in this weekend's matches against Texas Woman's and DBU to power a deep offensive rotation of capable attackers.
 
SCOUTING AND HISTORY WITH THE PIONEERS
 
Texas Woman's enters this weekend on the outside looking in for the 12 spots available in the 2021 LSC Postseason Tournament. The Pioneers sit in 13^th place with a Lone Star Conference record of 3-8 and a 4-15 overall record.
 
Texas Woman's has lost all six of their away matches in 2021 and has dropped five straight LSC matches entering Friday's meeting with UT Tyler. Four different Pioneers have eclipsed the 100 kill total for the year, and will be led by middle blocker Trixie Oche, who enters the weekend with 131 kills on the year.
 
Sydney Stroh and Yanely Pabon lead the defensive effort with 274 and 216 digs on the year, respectively.
 
UT Tyler met Texas Woman's four different times during the 2021 spring schedule, knocking off the Pioneers by 3-0 finals in three of those matches and by a 3-2 final tally in the other match. Texas Woman's got the better of UT Tyler in the previous first two matches between the squads in the 2019 season, setting the overall series at 4-2 in favor of the Patriots entering this weekend.
 
The Patriots are 2-1 inside the Herrington Patriot Center against Texas Woman's.
 
SCOUTING AND HISTORY WITH THE PATRIOTS
 
DBU has made a surprise turnaround in 2021 after going 3-10 during the 2021 spring schedule, and enters the weekend in seventh place in the LSC standings with a league mark of 7-4. The Patriots are 10-4 on the year entering Friday's match with Texas A&M-Commerce, but have dropped three out of their last four LSC matches.
 
The strength of DBU begins and ends with junior Halee Van Poppel, who leads the Lone Star Conference with an average of 4.45 kills per set. Poppel has reached double-digit kill totals in every match this year, and is coming off of her most recent outing in which she hit .351 with 25 kills on 57 swings in the Patriot's 3-1 win over Texas Woman's.
 
The Patriots are sixth in the LSC with a team hitting percentage of .212 on the year, and have averaged the fifth most kills per set against conference competition with an average of 13.38 a set.
 
DBU also dropped all four of their matches against the Patriots last spring, two of which came by 3-1 finals and two by 3-0 finals. DBU won the first three meetings between the two programs in a series that dates back to 2004, with UT Tyler holding the 4-3 edge overall.