TYLER, TEXAS – The University of Texas at Tyler volleyball program finished the 2021 season at no. 20 in the final AVCA Division II Coaches Top 25 Poll as announced by the organization this week.
The Patriots capped off a season with a record of 20-4 and the program's first qualification into the NCAA Division II National Volleyball Tournament, earning a 3-1 first round victory over Colorado Mesa. UT Tyler was one of three Lone Star Conference teams to earn a spot in the final top 25 rankings alongside Angelo State (no. 13) and West Texas A&M (no. 16).
UT Tyler was selected as the no. 6 seed into the South Central Region bracket, and upset the no. 3 seeded Mavericks of Colorado Mesa in Denver, Colo. by a 3-1 final tally back on Dec. 2. The Patriots came back in the semifinals the following night and fell by the same score to eventual South Central Region champions West Texas A&M.
The Patriots won 20 or more games for just the sixth time in program history and finished the 2021 season in second place in the LSC regular season standings with a record of 15-2 in league play. UT Tyler appeared in every addition of the AVCA Division II Coaches Top 25 Poll, climbing to as high as no. 13 back on Nov. 8
th.
Seniors
Mikayla Ware and
Christina Escamilla earned the first All-American accolades in the history of the UT Tyler volleyball program after being named AVCA Division II Honorable Mention All-Americans at season's end. Both Patriots were AVCA All-South Central Region First Team selections while Ware also garnered a spot on the All-South Central Region Tournament Team.
UT Tyler earned eight All-Lone Star Conference selections in 2021, including a pair of All-LSC First Team selections from Ware and Escamilla, All-LSC Second Team honors from libero
Savannah Guzman, and a trio of Honorable Mention recipients in
Callie Craus,
Hannah Callison and
Maiya Peña. Escamilla and Craus were also included on the league's All-Academic Team for their work on the court and in the classroom.
2021 Final AVCA Division II Coaches Top 25 Poll
| Rank |
School (First-Place Votes) |
Total Points Adjusted |
2021 Record
|
Previous Week Rank |
| 1 |
Tampa (46) |
1165 |
34-2 |
9 |
| 2 |
Washburn |
1125 |
31-6 |
6 |
| 3 |
MSU Denver (1) |
968 |
28-4 |
3 |
| 4 |
Central Missouri |
937 |
29-4 |
1 |
| 5 |
West Florida |
897 |
35-2 |
5 |
| 6 |
Western Washington |
866 |
26-5 |
13 |
| 7 |
Concordia - St. Paul |
759 |
24-9 |
15 |
| 8 |
Cal State San Bernardino |
734 |
26-4 |
2 |
| 9 |
Winona State |
715 |
28-5 |
10 |
| 10 |
St Cloud State |
690 |
27-5 |
7 |
| 11 |
Nebraska-Kearney |
671 |
26-7 |
12 |
| 12 |
NW Missouri State |
661 |
26-6 |
4 |
| 13 |
Angelo State |
603 |
24-5 |
11 |
| 14 |
Colorado School of Mines |
577 |
26-4 |
8 |
| 15 |
Hillsdale |
526 |
30-5 |
16 |
| 16 |
West Texas A&M |
502 |
25-5 |
NR |
| 17 |
Gannon |
432 |
30-7 |
NR |
| 18 |
Wayne State (Neb.) |
333 |
22-8 |
14 |
| 19 |
Nova Southeastern |
268 |
25-6 |
21 |
| 20 |
Texas-Tyler |
238 |
20-4 |
22 |
| 21 |
Ferris State |
220 |
25-5 |
23 |
| 22 |
Michigan Tech |
209 |
25-7 |
20 |
| 23 |
Southwest Minnesota State |
193 |
21-8 |
17 |
| 24 |
Cal State L.A. |
172 |
21-11 |
NR |
| 25 |
Cal Poly Pomona |
154 |
23-5 |
18 |
Others receiving votes and listed on two or more ballots: Lewis 135; Augusta University 84; Embry-Riddle Aeronautical (FL) 57; Oklahoma Baptist University 49; Central Washington 40; Daemen 37; Chaminade 33; Arkansas Tech University 30; Colorado Mesa University 30; Regis 21; American International 20; Lenoir-Rhyne 18; Missouri-St Louis 17; Wheeling 17; Lynn 14; Wingate 12; Wayne State (Mich.) 11; Palm Beach Atlantic 8; Alaska-Anchorage 6
10 teams mentioned on only one ballot for a total of 21 combined points
Dropped Out: Lewis 19; Oklahoma Baptist University 25; Chaminade 24.
