TYLER, TEXAS – The University of Texas at Tyler volleyball team will take on West Texas A&M in the quarterfinal round of the Spring 2021 Lone Star Conference Volleyball Championship tomorrow night inside the Herrington Patriot Center.
 
Tomorrow's match will be the first time UT Tyler will have the opportunity to compete in the volleyball Lone Star Conference Postseason Tournament as the university fishes up it's transition period into full-fledged Division II status this season. The Patriots put an exclamation point on their first season of having the chance to compete in a postseason tournament with a 12-0 regular season record and a divisional championship to claim the right to host the opening and quarterfinal rounds of the Spring 2021 Lone Star Conference Volleyball Championship.
 
West Texas A&M qualified for the tournament with a second-place finish in the West Division standings in an abbreviated spring schedule for the league with a record of 9-3 in divisional play. The Lady Buffs defeated Texas A&M International by a 3-1 final on Tuesday night in the opening round to advance to the quarterfinal round against UT Tyler on Wednesday night.
 
A DOMINANT SEASON
 
The Patriots dominated their Central Division competition throughout their 12 matches this spring, securing wins in 36 out of their 42 sets played to finish with a perfect 12-0 record in the regular season. That performance clinched the right for the Patriots to host UT Tyler's first LSC Postseason Tournament on campus this week with the opening and quarterfinal rounds taking place inside the Herrington Patriot Center.
 
UT Tyler also received their first ever national-ranking at the Division II level for their efforts throughout the regular season, and will enter the 2021 Spring LSC Volleyball Championship ranked at no. 14 in the latest AVCA Division II Coaches Top 25 Poll.
 
Head coach Lyndsay Mashe's squad swept seven matches by 3-0 victories during the spring 2021 campaign and went to a fifth set just once over the squad's 12 matches. UT Tyler finished the regular season ranked first in the Lone Star Conference and 11^th nationally with a team hitting percentage of .256, and first in the LSC and 20^th nationally with an opponent hitting percentage of .113 for the spring season.
 
EARNING RECOGNITION
 
The all-conference awards and list will not be decided until after the postseason tournament is complete for the Lone Star Conference, but UT Tyler should be well-represented on the list based upon the recognition already received by the team in the league's weekly Player of the Week selections. UT Tyler had a representative from the program named as a Player of the Week recipient eight times throughout the 2021 regular season.
 
Taylor Stoops and Mikayla Ware were named Setter and Offensive Player of the Week twice while four other Patriots (Evelyn Torres, Hannah Callison, Christina Escamilla and Callie Craus) earned the distinction once.
 
A DEEP, TALENTED CROP OF OFFENSIVE WEAPONS
 
UT Tyler used a relentless and deep offensive attack all season to keep opposing defenses guessing throughout the undefeated regular season. Ware (115), Callison (102) and Escamilla (101) all recorded 100 or more kills in the 12 matches this spring, while Kylee Becker just missed the 100-kill threshold with 93 for the year.
 
Add in the contributions of Maiya Pena, Evelyn Torres and Hattie Murray, who all produced at efficient rates at different points of the season, and you have a well-balanced and deep attack that will present a lot of different looks for West Texas A&M on Wednesday night.
 
THE TWO THAT MAKE IT ALL HAPPEN
 
All of those talented offensive options for UT Tyler would have far more trouble on the offensive side of the ball if it weren't for the quality play of setters Taylor Stoops and Callie Craus all spring. Stoops and Craus have rotated in and out all season long and finished the regular season ranked ninth and 11^th in the Lone Star Conference in assists per set.
 
Stoops led the way with an average of 5.81 assists per set, earning the aforementioned Setter of the Week honor on two different occasions, while Craus averaged 5.31 assists per set and was rightfully given the Setter of the Week honor by the Lone Star Conference in week six.
 
Stoops and Craus were the only two setters from the same team to be recognized with Player of the Week distinctions.