TYLER, TEXAS – Head coach Lyndsay Mashe and The University of Texas at Tyler volleyball program recently finalized the 2021 schedule for this upcoming fall.
 
Coach Mashe and the Patriots will return to a full schedule after navigating last year's shortened 2021 spring schedule with an undefeated 12-0 record in regular season play, advancing all the way to the 2021 Spring Lone Star Conference Volleyball Championships final match against Angelo State. UT Tyler will compete in a single match against each Lone Star Conference opponent to make up the 17-match conference schedule as well as eight matches of non-conference competition to kick off the year.
 
The 2021 campaign will also mark the first season in which the Patriots will be eligible to compete in postseason competition as the institution was approved for full-fledged Division II membership last week. UT Tyler was able to make the program's first ever appearance in the LSC Volleyball Championships this spring, as the Patriots were allowed to compete in conference postseason competition despite the Division II transition period due to the cancellation of the fall championships by the NCAA and the rescheduling of the 2020 season to the spring of 2021.
 
"We scheduled for this upcoming fall with the goal in mind of getting out of conference and into the NCAA Division II National Tournament as full members," Coach Mashe said. "I believe our preseason will give us the challenge we need to be ready for a full Lone Star Conference schedule this season."
 
That preseason will consist of a pair of four-game tournaments for the Patriots on Sept. 2-4 and Sept. 9-11, the latter of which will take place in Tyler at the Patriot Classic inside the Herrington Patriot Center. The Sept. 2-4 season-opening event will take place at the Southeastern Classic in Durant, Okla., pitting the Patriots against Southern Nazarene, Emporia State, New Mexico Highlands and Central Oklahoma.
 
The Patriot Classic will award the Patriots four extra home games that not all Lone Star Conference teams will have the benefit of featuring in their schedule as the 17-match league schedule leaves just eight matches available for non-conference competition. The Patriots will face off against four teams accustomed to competing amongst the elite in their respective conferences, starting with a home opener against Ferris State on Sept. 9.
 
"We are so excited to get the opportunity to host a tournament at UT Tyler this season," Coach Mashe said. "We have a great support system at our home games and cannot wait to play four very competitive non-conference games on our home floor. Both tournaments will allow us the opportunity to play very competitive teams."
 
UT Tyler will finish off the non-conference portion of their schedule following the Ferris State home opener on Thursday night with a Friday doubleheader against West Alabama and Harding, followed by a Saturday afternoon match with Oklahoma Baptist.
 
The Patriots will stay at home to open up Lone Star Conference play a week later, getting the conference slate of matches started with a rematch of the 2021 Spring LSC Volleyball Championships quarterfinal match against West Texas A&M on Friday, Sept. 17 at 6 p.m. A six-game home stand will conclude the following afternoon on the 18^th with a 1 p.m. match against Eastern New Mexico.
 
The remainder of the LSC schedule for the Patriots will follow that Friday-Saturday format, alternating up until the final week of the regular season with home and away trips.
 
The first road trip of the 2021 LSC schedule will take the Patriots south to San Antonio and Austin for meetings with St. Mary's and St. Edward's on Sept. 24-25. Those two matches will be the first Lone Star Conference match for UT Tyler against either St. Mary's or St. Edward's, as the Patriots weren't scheduled against either squad in the inaugural season for UT Tyler against a full LSC schedule back in 2019.
 
The Patriots will return home to begin the month of October against another new opponent in Oklahoma Christian on Oct. 1, who will be competing in just their second season in the LSC after restarting their volleyball program in 2020. A familiar face will make their way into the Herrington Patriot Center the following afternoon, as UAFS will return to the site of this spring's LSC Volleyball Championships semifinal match with the Patriots for the fourth installment of the two program's meetings.
 
The Lions joined the Patriots alongside Angelo State and Texas A&M-Kingsville as winners of their respective sides of the bracket in the spring championship tournament.
 
UT Tyler will roll on the following weekend with road contests against Cameron and Midwestern State on Oct. 8-9 before returning home for matches against Texas A&M-Kingsville and Texas A&M International. Those matches will preclude a key road trip for the Patriots as they head west for matches against Lubbock Christian, a perennial power in the old Heartland Conference, and Angelo State, who narrowly escaped the Herrington Patriot Center with a 3-2 victory in the 2021 Spring LSC Volleyball Championships final match, on Oct. 22-23.
 
The final homestand for the Patriots will take place against Texas Woman's and DBU, a pair of squads that the Patriots knocked off twice in the 2021 spring schedule in route to a divisional championship. UT Tyler will meet the third member of that spring division in Texas A&M-Commerce the following weekend for a single-match weekend, as the two East Texas rivals will square off in Commerce, Texas on Nov. 6.
 
The final weekend of the 2021 regular season is set for a long one, as UT Tyler will make the trek out to Western New Mexico on Nov. 11 and UT Permian Basin on Nov. 13 to put the finishing touches on the season.
 
The 2021 Fall LSC Volleyball Championships are set to take place the week of Nov. 16-20, as the top 12 finishers based on conference record will qualify for a spot in the field. The no. 1-4 seeds will all receive a first-round bye for the opening round matches on the 16^th. The no. 1 overall seed will then host the remaining eight-team bracket beginning Thursday the 18^th and concluding with Saturday's championship match to determine who will represent the Lone Star Conference with an automatic berth in the NCAA Division II National Tournament.
 
"With such an experience group returning, we cannot wait to see what the season brings." Coach Mashe said.
 
The combination of that experience combined with the spring's success should formulate into UT Tyler being among the best in the Lone Star Conference this fall, and with that a chance to qualify for the NCAA Division II National Tournament.

The complete 2021 schedule is located below.
 

Date	Opponent	Location	Time
Sept. 2	^Southern Nazarene	Durant, Okla.	7 p.m.
Sept. 3	^Emporia State	Durant, Okla.	4 p.m.
Sept. 4	^New Mexico Highlands	Durant, Okla.	10 a.m.
Sept. 4	^Central Oklahoma	Durant, Okla.	4 p.m.
Sept. 9	%FERRIS STATE	TYLER, TEXAS	6 P.M.
Sept. 10	%WEST ALABAMA	TYLER, TEXAS	12 P.M.
Sept. 10	%HARDING	TYLER, TEXAS	6 P.M.
Sept. 11	%OKLAHOMA BAPTIST	TYLER, TEXAS	1 P.M.
Sept. 17	*WEST TEXAS A&M	TYLER, TEXAS	6 P.M.
Sept. 18	*EASTERN NEW MEXICO	TYLER, TEXAS	1 P.M.
Sept. 24	*St. Mary's	San Antonio, Texas	6 p.m.
Sept. 25	*St. Edward's	Austin, Texas	1 p.m.
Oct. 1	*OKLAHOMA CHRISTIAN	TYLER, TEXAS	6 P.M.
Oct. 2	*UAFS	TYLER, TEXAS	1 P.M.
Oct. 8	*Cameron	Lawton, Okla.	5:30 p.m.
Oct. 9	*Midwestern State	Wichita Falls, Texas	12 p.m.
Oct. 15	*TEXAS A&M-KINGSVILLE	TYLER, TEXAS	6 P.M.
Oct. 16	*TEXAS A&M-INTERNATIONAL	TYLER, TEXAS	1 P.M.
Oct. 22	*Lubbock Christian	Lubbock, Texas	6 p.m.
Oct. 23	*Angelo State	San Angelo, Texas	2 p.m.
Oct. 29	*TEXAS WOMAN'S	TYLER, TEXAS	6 P.M.
Oct. 30	*DBU	TYLER, TEXAS	1 P.M.
Nov. 6	*Texas A&M-Commerce	Commerce, Texas	6 p.m.
Nov. 11	*Western New Mexico	Silver City, N.M.	6 p.m.
Nov. 13	*UT Permian Basin	Odessa, Texas	11 a.m.
Nov. 16	LSC First Round	TBA	TBA
Nov. 18	LSC Quarterfinal	TBA	TBA
Nov. 19	LSC Semifinal	TBA	TBA
Nov. 20	LSC Final	TBA	TBA

                        HOME GAMES IN BOLD
                        ^ Southeastern Classic
                        % Patriot Classic
                        * Designates a Lone Star Conference match