Match Info	Opponent Info
UT Tyler vs. East Central UTT: 0-0, 0-0 LSC | ECU: 0-0, 0-0 GAC Friday, Sept. 6th | 10 a.m. Dallas, Texas / Burg Center		ROSTER	SCHEDULE	STATS
UT Tyler at (RV) Dallas Baptist UTT: 0-0, 0-0 LSC | DBU: 0-0, 0-0 LSC Friday, Sept. 6th | 7 p.m. Dallas, Texas / Burg Center		ROSTER	SCHEDULE	STATS
(RV) Bentley vs. UT Tyler BU: 0-0, 0-0 NE10 | UTT: 0-0, 0-0 LSC Saturday, Sept. 7th | 10 a.m. Dallas, Texas / Burg Center		ROSTER	SCHEDULE	STATS

WHAT COACH MASHE IS SAYING

On the outlook for the Patriots heading into opening weekend... "We have a great group of seniors, six with a few new additions. They've really done a great job of holding the standards high for what we want. We brought in some transfers this spring who have made an immediate impact to our team with their play and who they are as people as well. We also added some new freshman that are very talented and have fit right in with our team. So I'm just so excited right now about the chemistry of this team and the way they are working together."

On the message to the team heading into an important opening weekend at the Dallas Classic... "We've got to be ready to go from the get go. I do think that having a big group of returners that understand how important these non-conference matches are will help lead the way and help us win when adversity does strike this weekend. We are going to be playing some tough matches, so I hope that leadership helps calm the chaos and we can go and get some wins."

On the senior leadership heading into the season... "We have three seniors that have been here since their freshman year in Dakota, Addison and Jenna. So they've been here the longest and they really know what is expected and have been apart of some really great teams. They know what to expect and how the season goes, playing in a tough conference and how long of a season it is. So i do expect them and the other seniors that have joined the program to just lead the way. Especially in the moments of adversity. It's easy to lead when everything is going good, but when we really need their leadership is when we've lost a set or we're struggling, that's when they've really got to lead us out of that."

PATRIOTS NEWS AND NOTES

- Friday morning's first serve will begin play in the 22nd season of UT Tyler volleyball. The program holds an all-time record of 339-274 (.553) across 21 seasons of competition and have produced a record of 81-43 (.653) since beginning Division II play in 2019. The Patriots have qualified for three straight NCAA Division II National Tournaments in each of the first three seasons of postseason eligibility for the program at the Division II level. UT Tyler won 20 games in back-to-back seasons in 2021 and 2022.
- UT Tyler went 17-12 last year and navigated the Lone Star Conference with an 11-5 record in league play. The Patriots earned the no. 8 seed in the 2023 NCAA South Central Regional Tournament after winning seven out of their last eight matches to close out the regular season before ultimately falling in the quarterfinals of that tournament to eventual NCAA Division II National Runner-Up and no. 1 overall seeded West Texas A&M. 
- The University of Texas at Tyler volleyball program will open the 2024 season picked fifth in the Lone Star Conference Preseason Volleyball Poll. The Patriots received 536 votes to appear as the no. 5 choice in the annual preseason poll behind four programs who each earned at least one first-place vote in West Texas A&M, DBU, Angelo State and Texas A&M-Kingsville. West Texas A&M will enter the year as the favorite after garnering 23 first-place votes and 674 total votes in the poll.
- Head coach Lyndsay Mashe will begin her ninth season as the head coach of UT Tyler volleyball and is the all-time winningest coach in the history of the program with a 145-62 (.700) record. 2024 will mark her 19th season as a collegiate volleyball head coach after serving as head coach at East Texas Baptist University for 10 seasons and holds a 339-184 (.648) overall record.
- UT Tyler is 36-10 as a Division II program inside the Herrington Patriot Center and have gone 30-9 in home Lone Star Conference matches. The Patriots have lost just three home matches dating back to the 2021 season, going 25-3 in home matches over the course of the last three seasons.
- The Patriots are 18-13 at the Division II level in neutral site matches.
- The 2024 roster will feature 11 returners and 10 newcomers. Senior Dakota Rogers-Hurtado returners as the lone All-Lone Star Conference selection for the Patriots, having earned Honorable Mention All-Lone Star Conference in 2022. Libero Addison Evans will also return to the floor for coach Mashe after ranking eighth in the Lone Star Conference last season with 4.55 digs per set and sits just 21 digs away from the 1,000th dig in her UT Tyler career.
- UT Tyler ranked fourth in the LSC last season with an average of 17.08 digs per set as a unit. The Patriot offense ranked eighth in the league with a .195 team hitting percentage and averaged the sixth most kills per set at 13.29 per set. UT Tyler will be looking to return to their high-powered offensive form that allowed the program to lead the LSC in kills per set in 2021 and rank fourth in the league in 2022. Outside hitters Jackie Velzis and Sophie Connor will bring the majority of the returning offensive production to the floor for UT Tyler this weekend after each totaling 100-plus kills last season.
- A host of newcomers are expected to contribute this fall for UT Tyler, including four transfers that joined the program prior to the spring semester in Kota Hartman (Lehigh), Autumn Perry (Nicholls State), Makhai Lewis (Panola College) and Annabelle Reed (Tyler Junior College).
- UT Tyler has won four straight season openers and have enjoyed undefeated opening weekend tournaments in two out of their last three seasons. The Patriots started off last fall with a 4-0 weekend at home at the 2023 Patriot Classic.

SCOUTING EAST CENTRAL

- East Central went 14-15 last season and 9-7 in Great American Conference play.
- The Tigers have been selected to finish eighth in the GAC Preseason Volleyball Poll.
- UT Tyler holds the overall advantage in the all-time series between the two programs, having won 3-0 in the inaugural meeting back in 2019.

SCOUTING DBU

- DBU finished the season 24-8 last year and advanced to the semifinals of the 2023 NCAA DII South Central Regional Tournament. The Patriots have gone 25-7 and 24-8 in their last two campaigns and have been picked to finish second in the 2024 LSC Volleyball Preseason Poll after claiming a share of the LSC Regular Season Title last year.
- The Patriots return their top five kill-producers in 2024, including LSC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year Delaney Fuller, who will look to repeat LSC Offensive Player of the Year honors this fall. Fuller set single-season program highs in nearly every offensive category for DBU, and was named the AVCA South Central Region Player of the Year at season's end.
- DBU enters the 2024 season in the receiving votes category of the 2024 AVCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll.
- DBU holds a 6-5 advantage in the all-time series between the two familiar foes and have won three straight matches in the series. 

SCOUTING BENTLEY

- Bentley is coming off of the best season in program history as winners of the 2024 NCAA Division II East Regional, making for the team's first appearance in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight. The Falcons went 25-7 last season and will return a large contingency of their production from a year ago.
- The Falcons ranked third in all of NCAA Division II volleyball with an average of 2.46 service aces per set and will return a pair of senior captains in Rachel Vitko and Jazzy Burke.
- Joey Pacis returns to the sidelines for his 11th season at the helm of the program and holds a 167-100 record as head coach of the Falcons.
- This will be the first ever meeting between the two programs.