Where: Stephenville, TX
Facility: Wisdom Gym
Time: 6 p.m. CT (Thu); 1 p.m. CT (Sat)
Streaming Platform: WAC Digital Network (Thu); ESPN+ (Sat)
TEXAN VOLLEYBALL MATCH DAY
Tarleton Volleyball will look to close out its longest homestand of the fall season this week with a Thursday night showcase against Prairie View A&M at 6 p.m. and a 1 p.m. showdown Saturday in a rekindling of the longstanding rivalry between Tarleton and Abilene Christian.
Thursday's match will be aired free of charge on the WAC Digital Network while Saturday's league match will be streamed live on ESPN+. Live stats will be also be available. Links to follow the action are available on the volleyball schedule page at TarletonSports.com.
'SPIKE OUT CANCER' MATCH
Thursday's match will be 'Spike Out Cancer' in support of former Texan Assistant Coach Molly Howard-Gerwig's fight against cancer. Fans are encouraged to wear dark blue attire to Thursday's game and post photos to social media by tagging @TarletonVB and using the hashtags #FightLikeMolly and #HerFightIsOurFight. Free T-Shirts will be given away at the match while supplies last and donations will be accepted on Howard-Gerwig's behalf.
Howard coached for the Texans during the 2019 season. Last spring, she was diagnosed with a rare case of stage IV neuroendocrine colon cancer.
ABOUT THE MATCHUP
- Tarleton will play host to Prairie View A&M Thursday on the back end of a two-year home and home series. The Texans visited Prairie View last spring and swept the Panthers to take the all-time edge in the series 2-1. The series began in 2000 with a Tarleton loss but the Texans won the next two meeting in 2001 and spring 2021.
- Tarleton will rekindle a longstanding rivalry with another purple foe from just over 90 miles down I-20 as the Texans and Wildcats of Abilene Christian will face off for the first time since 2012. Tarleton and Abilene Christian have a rich history of competition across all sports and date as far back as 1978 on the volleyball circuit. The Wildcats hold a 44-10 lead in the all-time series, including 15-7 advantage in Stephenville. Tarleton won the final two meetings against ACU in 2012 before the Wildcats departed for NCAA Division I and the Southland Conference.
QUICK HITS
- Entering the eighth week of the season, Tarleton is the No. 4-ranked team in the WAC in team hit percentage. Tarleton enters the week hitting .220 on the fifth-fewest errors in the league.
- Of the top 10 individual leaders in total kills in the WAC, six of them reside in the Southwest Division with Lauren Kersey at No. 2 in the division and No. 3 in the WAC at 230 kills. Her 3.38 kills per set is ranked No. 4 in the division and No. 7 in the WAC.
- Lorin McNeil has proven to be one of the elite blockers in the Western Athletic Conference. Through 18 matches, McNeil ranks No. 1 in the WAC in total blocks (72.0) and is sixth in the WAC in blocks per set (1.06).
- With 38 attack attempts over the last three matches, Elise Smith now qualifies to be among the WAC leaders in hit percentage and she leads the Southwest Division with a .336 hit percentage. The junior Louisiana native has 68 kills on 152 attacks with a mere 17 miscues. She is ranked No. 4 in the entire WAC.
- Tarleton's defense was in peak shape against Lamar as the Texans boasted a season-high 84 digs in the four-set victory against the Cardinals. Three players recorded double-digit digs in the match – Ana Costas (25), Kayla Brannon (15) and Amber Strange (12). It's the first 80-dig performance by the Texans this season and the fourth over their Division I history.
WAC UPDATES
- WAC-ESPN+ ENTERS THREE-YEAR PARTNERSHIP: Continuing a relationship that spans more than 31 years, the Western Athletic Conference and ESPN have announced a new multi-year, multi-platform media rights agreement that will see over 500 annual events on ESPN+ and the ESPN App.
- FOUR NEW MEMBERS, ONE ON THE WAY: Just a year after welcoming two schools to the league in Dixie State and Tarleton, the WAC has opened its arms once again by bringing in the 'Texas 4'group of Abilene Christian, Stephen F. Austin, Sam Houston, and Lamar. Tarleton will also bring in Southern Utah next year to grow by seven members over a three-year span.
- OWNING THE LONE STAR STATE: With the addition of the four Texas schools, the WAC now boasts the largest presence of any conference in the nation at the NCAA Division I level in the state of Texas.
- LEAGUE DIVISIONS: With the addition of the four Texas schools, the WAC has gone into two divisions for the first time since 2004. The Texans are a part of the Southwest Division that includes all six of the league's Texas schools – Tarleton, ACU, SFA, Sam Houston, Lamar, and UTRGV.
- PRESEASON POLL: Tarleton was picked to finish third in the Southwest Division of the Western Athletic Conference. With 15 points, the Texans were picked behind SFA (24) and Sam Houston (21) in a division that includes all six of the league's Texas schools.
1,000-KILL CLUB
Amber Strange and Lauren Kersey have both eclipsed 1,000 career kills for their careers and will spend the rest of the season climbing Tarleton's all-time kill list. The complete top-10 list is as follows:
| # | Player | Years | Kills |
| 1. | Hailey Roberts | 2014-17 | 2389 |
| 2. | Desiree Reed | 2002-05 | 1545 |
| 3. | Sharon Lister | 1996-99 | 1422 |
| 4. | Lacey Adkisson | 2000-03 | 1355 |
| 5. | Missy Castro | 2004-08 | 1276 |
| 6. | Belinda Hardee | 1990-93 | 1261 |
| 7. | Kathy Buckler | 1983-86 | 1194 |
| 8. | Lauren Kersey | 2018-21 | 1165 |
| 9. | Amber Strange | 2017-21 | 1141 |
| 10. | Stacie Murrah | 2010-13 | 1117 |
| 11. | Marissa Galich | 1995-98 | 1095 |
1,000-KILL TEAMMATES
Lauren Kersey and Amber Strange have both joined exclusive company with over 1,000 career kills. They are the second set of teammates in program history to play together with over 1,000 kills. Previously, Marissa Galich and Sharon Lister at the end of the 1998 season were the only other 1,000-kill teammates to play together in program history.
TEXAN TRIO FOR THE RECORD BOOKS
Only one time in Tarleton's program history has a setter with at least 2,500 career assists ever played alongside a hitter with at least 1,000 career kills – Danielle Barker and Stacie Murrah in 2013.
With over 2,500 career assists, Kayla Brannon becomes the second player in program history to play alongside a teammate with 1,000 career kills and the first in program history to make passes to two such teammates – Lauren Kersey and Amber Strange.
2,000-ASSIST CLUB
Kayla Brannon is among the top-5 all-time in the Tarleton assist leaders. Last season, she reached the 2,000-assist mark on a kill from Lauren Kersey for the 30th point (16-14) of set three against Dixie State on March 9. Brannon is the sixth player in the Tarleton top-10 list in assists to have played under head coach Mary Schindler, who is also No. 9 on the list. She passed Christina Ortiz in the win over UC San Diego on the same day that she set up Lauren Kersey's 1,000th career kill. The complete top-10 list is as follows:
| # | School | League | Wins |
| 1. | Danielle Barker | 2010-13 | 3324 |
| 2. | Jessie Hartman | 2008-11 | 3266 |
| 3. | Kayla Brannon | 2018-21 | 2616 |
| 4. | Jordyn Keamo | 2016-17 | 2404 |
| 5. | Christina Ortiz | 2005-06 | 2313 |
| 6. | Didi Ebert | 1997-98 | 2131 |
| 7. | Chandler Gow | 2014-17 | 2020 |
NOTABLES
- WHAT THEY'RE SAYING – PROGRAM ON THE RISE: On July 6 in the El Paso Herald-Post, UTEP head coach Ben Wallis said the following about the Tarleton Volleyball program: "Tarleton State is a program on the rise who had significant wins last season and has had a long run of successful seasons under its head coach Mary Schindler."
- ALL-WAC KERSEY: Since joining the Western Athletic Conference in 2020, Lauren Kersey has been a mainstay on the All-WAC teams. The senior from Norman, Oklahoma was an All-WAC First Team selection following the spring season and is a Preseason All-WAC selection this fall.
- CAN'T SPELL KERSEY WITHOUT A K(ILL): While reclassifying student-athletes and programs are not eligible for national statistic rankings, Lauren Kersey is still proving to be one of the best in the nation for total kills. The Tarleton senior is one of only 89 NCAA Division I players in the country with 230 kills. She is one of three players in the WAC with over 230 kills and joins Jayme Scott (231) of Bellarmine as the only players on reclassifying teams to reach the mark.
- BEST BLOCKER IN THE BIZ: While reclassifying student-athletes and programs are not eligible for national statistic rankings, Lorin McNeil is still proving to be one of the best in the nation for total blocks. The Tarleton senior is one of 72 players in the nation with 72 total blocks and she leads all reclassifying players in that category.
UP NEXT FOR TARLETON
Tarleton will spend next weekend playing a pair of WAC crossover games against West Division foes California Baptist and Dixie State in Abilene. The Texans and Lancers will square off Friday at 1 p.m. Tarleton and Dixie play Saturday at 4 p.m. at the home of ACU.
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October 13, 2021 at 06:39AM
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Texan Volleyball hosts Prairie View A&M, Abilene Christian to close out homestand - Tarleton State University Athletics
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