The Teams: Tarleton Texans (7-7, 0-0 WAC) vs. Sam Houston Bearkats (7-5, 0-0 WAC); Stephen F. Austin (10-3, 1-0 WAC)
Where: Huntsville, TX; Nacogdoches, TX
Facility: Bernard Johnson Coliseum; Shelton Gym
Time: 6:30 p.m. CT (Thu); 12 p.m. CT (Thu)
Streaming Platform: ESPN+
 
TEXAN VOLLEYBALL MATCH DAY
Western Athletic Conference play begins tomorrow night for the Tarleton Volleyball team in the eastern land of the Lone Star State. The Texans head to the Piney Woods for its first WAC-rival showdowns against new in-state WAC members, Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin.
 
The matches will be streamed live on ESPN+ and live stats will be available. Links to follow the action are available on the volleyball schedule page at TarletonSports.com.
 
ABOUT THE MATCHUP

• Tarleton will begin Western Athletic Conference play this weekend with a two-match road trip against its newest in-state league rivals, Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin. All three members are a part of the WAC's Southwest Division.
• For Tarleton and Sam Houston, Thursday's meeting will be the conference opener. Stephen F. Austin will have two WAC matches under their belt by the time Tarleton comes to town. The Ladyjacks lead the Southwest Division with a 1-0 league record after defeating UTRGV on Saturday.
• Despite the close proximity, Tarleton and Sam Houston have never met on the volleyball court. Meanwhile, the Texans and SFA will meet for the second time in program history – both coming in this 2021 calendar year. Tarleton visited SFA for a season-opening tournament to kick off the spring season in January and fell to the Ladyjacks in their second-ever game as a Division I program.

 
QUICK HITS

• Entering the sixth week of the season, Tarleton is the No. 3-ranked team in the WAC in team hit percentage. The Texans moved up two spots and .004 points from last week's positioning. Tarleton enters the week hitting .231 on the fifth-fewest errors in the league. Saturday's match at SFA will feature two of the league's top three offenses (SFA .240; TAR .231). Tarleton also ranks No. 3 in the WAC in blocks per set (2.00).
• 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. 3 in the division and No. 5 in the WAC at 173 kills. Her 3.26 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 14 matches, McNeil ranks No. 1 in the WAC in total blocks (55.0) and is sixth in the WAC in blocks per set (1.04).
• As a team, Tarleton has hit .250 or higher in six of their last nine matches with a season-high .400 hit percentage against St. Thomas. The Texans had 45 kills with a season-low seven errors on 95 swings against the Tommies. It was Tarleton's first .400 hit performance as a Division I program, the 18th such performance in program history, and the first since hitting .408 against Midwestern State on Oct. 26, 2018. The Texans hit .329 in their last outing against Texas Southern, which was the first .300 hit performance since their thrashing of the Tommies in New York.
• Tarleton put down a season-high 10 service aces in their sweep of Texas Southern last Thursday. It was the first time Tarleton had 10 aces in a match since Nov. 22, 2019 in a sweep against Texas Woman's.
• After recording 17 double-digit kill performances last spring, Lauren Kersey is picking up right where she left off. The senior leader leads the team with 10 double-digit kill performances through the first 14 matches and seven of those included .300 hit percentages or higher. She recorded a career-high 25 kills on a .524 hit percentage against Texas State on Sept. 17. It was her second career 20-kill performance. Each of her last two matches have included double-digit kill performances with .300 hitting efforts.

 
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.	Amber Strange	2017-21	1122
9.	Stacie Murrah	2010-13	1117
10.	Lauren Kersey	2018-21	1108
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	2529
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

• SUPER SENIOR SEASON: The spring semester did not count as a season of eligibility for student-athletes around the country. Amber Strange and Natalya Chatham have been given the opportunity to return for an additional season of competition.
• 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.
• NO PLACE LIKE HOME: Tarleton has been racking up the frequent flyer miles through the first three weeks of the season. The Texans went from Stephenville to Miami to New York and California for tournament action. Tarleton traveled 9,512 miles over the first three weeks but will be playing in the state of Texas for the remainder of the season.
• MEETING OF DIVISION'S TOP COACHES: The Southwest Division of the WAC features some of the most storied coaches in the Western Athletic Conference. This weekend's trip for Tarleton pits head coach Mary Schindler's 337 career wins against SHSU's Brenda Gray (737) and SFA's Debbie Humphreys (761). Humphreys and Gray lead the division in career wins while Schindler is No. 4.

 
UP NEXT FOR TARLETON
Tarleton will return home for the first time in over a month on October 7 when the Texans host Lamar in WAC play. The Texans will have a four-match home stand from Oct. 7 through Oct. 16 when Tarleton will host Lamar, UTRGV, Prairie View A&M and Abilene Christian.