PREVIEW: Dallas at Arlington Baptist (9/1) | Austin College Classic (9/2-9/3)
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FIRST SERVE
The University of Dallas volleyball team opens the 2016 campaign at Arlington Baptist College on Thursday for a 7 p.m. tilt. It will be the first match since head volleyball coach Prentice Lewis became the 16th one for UD's program.
After the Crusaders season opener across town in Arlington, a two-day tournament hosted at Austin College will feature a pair of contests on Friday and Saturday. Dallas faces LeTourneau University (6 p.m.), University of Texas at Tyler (8 p.m.), Sul Ross State University (1 p.m.), and University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (3 p.m.) during the busy stretch.
3 THINGS TO KNOW
- Dallas opens the fall with five straight matches over a three-day span. UD is not home until October 8 and will have played 19 games by that juncture.
- Senior Jessie Koster (Sherwood, Ore.) highlights the team in accolades from 2015. Her 6.69 digs-per-set tied an NCAA DIII best and ranked first in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC). She also led the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) with a career-high 790 digs.
- Senior Mairin Guilfoyle (Roanoke, Va.) posted a career best 327 kills and led the navy and white in averaging 2.77 kills.
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS
(ARLINGTON BAPTIST COLLEGE)
The Patriots opened the 2016 season versus Richland College and will host the Crusaders on Thursday. Arlington Baptist is a member of the National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association (NCCAA) and Association of Christian College Athletics (ACCA). View Roster.
Dallas claimed a 3-0 win (25-20, 25-15, 25-15) in the lone meeting between these programs last year at the Maher Center. Koster made 26 digs, while junior Diana Hassink (Tulsa, Okla.) contributed a double-digit performance with 19. UD compiled 81 as a team.
In 2014, the Crusaders prevailed 3-1 (23-25, 25-17, 25-21, 25-14) in the matchup at Arlington Baptist. Koster produced 26 digs, while Guilfoyle attacked with a game-high 14 successful kills and .375 kill percentage.
In the all-time series, Dallas holds the advantage 12-0.
(LETOURNEAU UNIVERSITY)
The YellowJackets were selected fourth in the American Southwest Conference (ASC) East Division with 26 points. LETU is coming off a 13-18 mark in the 2015 season. Outside Hitter Dolores Henson and Middle Blocker/Right-Side Hitter Skylar Horan were picked as Preseason Players to Watch.
In the single-meeting last year, the Crusaders prevailed with a set sweep 3-0 (25-20, 25-18, 25-20) over LeTourneau at the Austin College Invitational. UD enjoyed a .485 percentage (19-33) in the second frame. Sophomore Elizabeth Smith (Broken Arrow, Okla.) notched 33 assists.
In the all-time series, Dallas is 21-8.
(UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT TYLER)
The Patriots were selected second in the ASC East Division with 61 points and two first place votes. In 2015, UT-Tyler finished 20-12. Additionally, Rebecca Floyd and Samantha Lee were named ASC Players to Watch. Floyd is the all-time UT Tyler assists leader with 3,059 (8.79 per set) and etched 1,024 last season. Lee paced the Patriots with 77 blocks.
Dallas dropped both matches with the Patriots in 2015, one on both team's own courts. In the latter match at UT-Tyler, Koster did secure the school digs record (736 previous mark) by finishing with 741 in the single-season at that point of the year. She totaled 25 in the setback.
In the all-time series, Dallas is 5-10
(SUL ROSS STATE UNIVERSITY)
The Lobos were picked fifth in the ASC West Division preseason rankings after a 7-16 record. Outside Hitters Brittany Serrano and Candice Hugi were selected to the ASC preseason watch list. Serrano led SRSU in kills with 177 and averaged 2.24 per set. She also posted a third team best 18 service aces. Hugi followed her for second in the kills column with 166 total. She also was good for 15 service aces.
These teams last met on the court in 2013 where UD prevailed 3-0 (25-21, 25-16, 25-14) in a tournament hosted at Arlington Baptist. Koster led the team with 19 digs.
In the all-time series, Dallas is 12-15
(UNIVERSITY OF MARY HARDIN-BAYLOR)
The Cowgirls were selected second in the ASC West Division Preseason poll with 95 points and four first place votes. Last year was a 13-17 record for UMHB. Libero Lauren Wish and setter/right-side hitter Morgan Prince were named preseason players to watch. Wish totaled 531 digs and Prince contributed 708 assists.
Last season, these teams met in the Austin College Invitational with the Cowgirls taking a 3-1 (25-21, 21-25, 27-25, 25-19) victory. Hassink led UD with 25 digs and was third on team with seven kills. Koster added 21 digs. Smith matched a season-high 41 assists with that match being the first time to make the number.
In the all-time series, Dallas is 5-10.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Dallas is back at Sherman, Texas, in the Austin College Invitational on Sept. 9-10. The four opponents include UT-Tyler, Concordia University, Sul Ross State, and McMurry University.