RICHARDSON, TEXAS – UT Tyler volleyball has been selected third in the Lone Star Conference Preseason Poll, mirroring their finish from the 2024 season.
 
Senior setter Saige Rivera was named the LSC Preseason Setter of the Year, marking the first time a Patriot earned a preseason player of the year honor.
 
The preseason poll and preseason players of the year are voted on by LSC head coaches, sports information directors and media members.
 
UT Tyler earned 859 total points in the poll and picked up three first place votes. Last season they finished 18-9 overall and 14-2 in LSC play while qualifying for their fourth consecutive NCAA South Central Regional Tournament.
 
Angelo State was selected as preseason number one with 30 first place votes. They were followed by West Texas A&M with 18 first place votes, and the Patriots rounded out the top three.
 
Rivera, a senior from Temecula, California, put together a bigtime 2024 campaign as she totaled 995 assists (9.85 per set) on her way to being both an LSC All-Academic Team selection and an All-LSC Second Team selection.
 
The Patriots will begin their season September 4^th as they play host to the Patriot Classic. UT Tyler will square off with Ferris State, Central Oklahoma, Ouachita Baptist, and Mississippi College over a three day stretch to begin their 2025 campaign.
 
Their first LSC match will be September 26^th as they welcome Cameron to the Herrington Patriot Center.