Match Info	Opponent Info
Eastern New Mexico vs. UT Tyler ENMU: 9-5, 0-2 LSC | UTT: 8-5, 1-1 LSC Friday, Sept. 23rd | 6:00 P.M. Tyler, Texas | Herrington Patriot Center		ROSTER	SCHEDULE	STATS
Lubbock Christian at UT Tyler LCU: 5-8, 1-1 LSC | UTT: 8-5, 1-1 LSC Saturday, Sept. 24th | 1 P.M. Tyler, Texas | Herrington Patriot Center		ROSTER	SCHEDULE	STATS

HOME SWEET HOME

After 13 straight matches, trips to three different states and nearly a month of competition, UT Tyler volleyball will finally have the opportunity to compete on their home floor this weekend with matches against Eastern New Mexico and Lubbock Christian. The Patriots went a perfect 8-0 last year on their home floor, and haven't lost a regular season home match inside the Herrington Patriot Center since Nov. 16th, 2019. UT Tyler lost back on Mar. 31st, 2021 in the championship match of the 2021 Spring Lone Star Conference Tournament by a 3-2 final to Angelo State, but have won 16 straight regular season home matches since the completion of the 2019 season.

WHAT COACH MASHE IS SAYING

On last week's opening Lone Star Conference matches... "I thought we stayed composed and finally got in a groove against Cameron. I was really proud of them taking care of business in that game and just playing really well. The West Texas A&M was an amazing match. It was back-and-forth the whole entire time and I was really proud of our fight and our heart. It's a great atmosphere there, they're a good team and we just fell short and if we clean up a couple of errors on our side I feel like we would have come up with the win."

On finally returning home for the first time in 2022... "We're so excited to get back home and I am hopeful that alot of people are ready to come out and watch our team compete. Our team has come a long way in the last four and a half weeks just in our confidence and how we are playing as a team right now. Eastern New Mexico and Lubbock Christian are both going to be great opponents. Eastern New Mexico has a great record right now and we're expecting a battle from both opponents."

On what has been a balanced and competitive Lone Star Conference so far... "We always talk about how every year is a new year and that teams can change so much in a year, especially in this conference that is one of the best in the nation. So any given night any team can be beat and you have to step out there ready to compete and ready to play as if you're playing the best team in the conference every night."

THE MATCH UPS

Eastern New Mexico will enter Friday night's match with a record of 9-5 on the year, but began Lone Star Conference play last weekend with a pair of losses at home against Oklahoma Christian and UAFS. The Greyhounds do hold three wins over LSC teams in matches marked as non-conference games as they went 3-0 with wins over Oklahoma Christian, St. Edward's and Texas A&M-Kingsville at the LSC Crossover back on Sept. 8-10. The strength of the Greyhounds this year has been their defense as they have limited their opposition to just a .124 hitting percentage. Junior Mikaela Garvin leads Eastern New Mexico with an average of 2.98 kills per set, while Gracelyn Stubbs has been the most efficient offensive option for the team with a hitting percentage of .361 for the year. UT Tyler leads the overall series against Eastern New Mexico with wins in each of the last two meetings between the two programs, including a 3-0 sweep inside the Herrington Patriot Center last season.

Lubbock Christian enters the weekend with a 5-8 record, and will visit UT Tyler's travel partner DBU on Friday night prior to the Saturday afternoon trip to Tyler. The Lady Chaps lost their first meeting against UT Tyler back at the LSC Crossover on Sept. 8th by a 3-1 final, and have gone 1-3 in their matches since that point. Lubbock Christian went 1-1 last weekend against Arkansas Fort Smith and Oklahoma Christian. The Lady Chaps have been balanced on offense with three players totaling over 100 kills so far in 2022. UT Tyler has won all three meetings all-time between the two teams by final scores of 3-1.

PROMOTIONAL NIGHTS

Both matches this weekend will feature promotional events for the UT Tyler volleyball program. A VIP First Serve Party will take place prior to Friday night's first serve against Eastern New Mexico in a match that will also serve as the Kick Out Cancer night. Saturday's match will feature recognition of all UT Tyler volleyball alumni in attendance for the weekend.

A LOOK AT THE STANDINGS

With one week of play complete of the Lone Star Conference schedule, it is clear that the level of competition will be much more than a three-team race between West Texas A&M, Angelo State and UT Tyler as evidenced by the 2022 LSC Preseason Volleyball Poll. The Patriots are one of seven teams that went 1-1 last weekend in conference play, while Angelo State, West Texas A&M and Texas A&M International all stand undefeated thus far in league play.
 

2022 Lone Star Conference Volleyball Standings

SCHOOL	CONF	CPCT.	OVERALL	PCT.	STREAK	HOME	AWAY	NEUTRAL
Angelo State	3-0	1.000	7-8	.467	W4	5-3	2-2	0-3
Texas A&M International	2-0	1.000	11-3	.786	W5	1-0	2-2	8-1
West Texas A&M	2-0	1.000	9-4	.692	W2	5-1	2-1	2-2
Oklahoma Christian	2-1	.667	9-5	.643	W1	6-2	2-2	1-1
UAFS	2-1	.667	8-6	.571	L1	0-1	3-2	5-3
DBU	1-1	.500	10-3	.769	W1	3-0	3-1	4-2
UT Tyler	1-1	.500	8-5	.615	L1	0-0	2-2	6-3
Texas A&M-Kingsville	1-1	.500	8-6	.571	W2	0-0	4-1	4-5
Lubbock Christian	1-1	.500	5-8	.385	W1	4-2	0-2	1-4
St. Mary's	1-1	.500	5-8	.385	W1	0-0	1-4	4-4
St. Edward's	1-1	.500	4-9	.308	W1	1-6	1-2	2-1
Midwestern State	1-1	.500	3-11	.214	L1	1-1	0-2	2-8
Texas Woman's	1-2	.333	10-5	.667	L2	9-2	0-1	1-2
Eastern New Mexico	0-2	.000	9-5	.643	L2	0-2	2-1	7-2
UT Permian Basin	0-1	.000	5-7	.417	L3	3-1	0-2	2-4
Cameron	0-2	.000	5-9	.357	L5	0-2	0-3	5-4
Western New Mexico	0-3	.000	2-13	.133	L4	0-7	0-2	2-4

RUNNING THROUGH WARE

Senior Mikayla Ware has established herself as not only one of the best players in the Lone Star Conference so far in 2022, but as one of the top players in all of NCAA DIvision II volleyball. Ware enters the weekend ranked seventh in Division II volleyball with an LSC-best 4.64 kills per set, and ranks second in the country with an average of 12.91 attacks per set. The San Antonio, Texas has posted six straight matches with 15 or more kills entering the weekend, and has five double-doubles so far this season.

TORRES IS ON A TEAR

Junior Evelyn Torres has also been explosive on the offensive side of the net as of late in addition to Ware, and totaled 27 kills between the two matches last week in LSC play. Torres has posted hitting percentages of .275, .304 and .375 in her last three matches, and matched her season-high kill total with 17 kills in Saturday's 3-2 loss at West Texas A&M.

STAT CHECK

UT Tyler ranks fourth in 2022 in the LSC with a team hitting percentage of .210 for the year, and has posted the fourth-best kills per set total in the league with an average of 13.36 per set. Ware (209) and Torres (117) are the only two Patriots that have eclipsed the 100 kill threshold so far in 2022, while senior Maiya Peña leads the team with a .332 hitting percentage. Senior Savannah Guzman leads the Patriots with 174 digs, while Ware (144) and sophomore Addison Evans (123) rank second and third on the team respectively. Sophomore Dakota Rogers-Hurtado leads the team with 47.0 blocks on the year, and ranks third in the LSC with an average of 1.18 blocks per set.

COACH MASHE

Head coach Lyndsay Mashe is in the midst of her seventh season as the program's all-time winningest coach with 116 wins as head coach of the Patriots. Mashe is 116-45 (.720) as the leader of the Patriots. The 2021 Spring Lone Star Conference Coach of the Year is now 310-167 (.650) as a collegiate head coach after six seasons at UT Tyler and 10 seasons at East Texas Baptist. 

RECORD WATCH

Guzman sits third in the program's all-time record books with 1,391 digs and counting. The all-time leader in program history is Megan McCarty, who totaled 1,763 digs in 408 sets from 2005-08. Ware currently holds the program's all-time record with an average of 3.77 kills per set and ranks eighth in program history with 671 total kills for her career.

A WEALTH OF PRODUCTION

UT Tyler volleyball welcomed back 2021 All-Lone Star Conference selections Savannah Guzman, Hannah Callison and Maiya Peña in 2022. Guzman is now a two-time All-LSC selection, adding the 2021 Second Team selection to an All-Conference nod during 2020's shortened spring season. Callison and Peña both found their names on the all-conference list for the first time in 2021, while 2020 All-LSC selection Hattie Murray opted to return for her final season as a Patriot in 2022.