The Teams: Tarleton State (11-12, 2-6 WAC) vs. ACU (10-11, 5-4 WAC)
Where: Stephenville, Texas
Arena: Wisdom Volleyball Gym
Time: 6 p.m. CT 
Streaming Platform: ESPN+
 
The Texans will head into battle against the Wildcats on Monday at 6 p.m. in Wisdom Volleyball Gym. The first 150 fans in attendance will receive a free purple rubber duck for our ''Oscar Purple'' themed match. The battle between the Purple and White will be broadcasted on ESPN+. 
 
Quick hits
• Tarleton State is ninth in conference going into the match.  
• Matti Theurer claimed the first WAC award for the Texans on Oct. 18, as she claimed the title of WAC Libero of the week after seeing two new season-highs against UTA.  
• The Wildcats and the Texans have a long history. This will be the 56th meeting between the two teams.  
• The overall record between ACU and Tarleton State is 45-10 in favor of the Wildcats. The first ever meeting of the two took place on Sept. 21 in 1978 when Abilene Christian claimed a four set battle over the Texans. In the most recent match, Oct. 22, 2022, the Wildcats took the set, 3-1. 
• Junior Allison Bryant leads the team with 307 kills and 328.5 points. 
• Sophomore Emma Burke has compiled 32 aces to lead the Texans. She has also amassed 95.0 total blocks for the 2023 season.  
• Sophomore Megan Hodges leads the team with 546 assists on the season. In the most recent match against UTRGV, Hodges contributed 34 assists for her second highest of the season. 
• Rajini Fitzmaurice is consistenly a key player for Tarleton State. With 11 kills in the match against the Vaqueros, Fitzmaurice has now seen 13 matches with 10+ kills for her overall total of 235 kills for the season. The Florida, native, has compiled 21 aces for the Texans. Fitzmaurice has totaled 171 digs and 272.0 points.  
• The Purple and White have compiled some impressive numbers with 1,179 kills, averaging 13.0 kills per set. The Texans have amassed 1,087 assists, 139 aces and 1,331 dig,s averaging 14.6 digs per set. The Tarleton State defense consists of 29 solo blocks, 267 block assists and162.5 total blocks.
 • Abilene Christian has totaled 988 kills, 901 assists and 147 aces. The Wildcats have compiled 1,189 digs for an average of 14.7 digs per set. ACU's defense has amassed 41 solo blocks, 154 block assists and 118.0 total blocks. 
 
Notables
 
Watch list
Allison Bryant joins the Purple and White as a transfer from Palm Beach State. The junior outside hitter has quickly made her mark as a member of the team as she leads the Texans in kills with a total of 307. Bryant's season-high comes from a five-set battle against the UIW Cardinals where she racked up 24 kills throughout the duration of the match. The Kelseyville, California, native, has compiled 10-plus kills in 18 out of 23 matches played for the Texans. She also leads the team with 328.5 points on the season.

In her second season with the Texans, Megan Hodges has quickly put up some impressive numbers. Leading the team with 546 assists, Hodges has made it clear she is here to compete. The setter is in second place for digs with 199 on the season.

Sophomore Emma Burke is a vital part of the Texan's defense. Leading the team with 95.0 blocks and is tied for third place on the team with 173 kills, the returner is a consistent, key player for Tarleton. Burke also leads the Texans in service aces with 32 to lead the conference.
Defensive specialist Matti Theurer has seen time in each set for the Texans so far this season. Leading the defense with 263 digs, the junior averages 3.83 digs per set.

Another notable returner is junior Grayson Schirpik. The outside hitter from Leander, Texas, is tied for third on the team with 173 kills on the season, averaging 1.92 kills per set. Schirpik also ranks fourth on the team in points with 200.5. In the 2022 season, Schirpik was a vital power for the Purple and White.
Rajini Fitzmaurice has pulled some serious weight for the Texans in recent matches. Fitzmaurice sits in second for most kills on the team with 235. The outside hitter sits in second for service aces with 21 on the season. Fitzmaurice is also in third for digs with 171 on the season, with a career high of 17 against UTSA.
 
 
Future upgrades coming soon
 Tarleton State is in the era of upgrades. With the groundbreaking of the new event center, Tarleton State Volleyball will part ways with the Wisdom Volleyball Gym that has been the home for the Texans since 1977. Tarleton Volleyball will move to Wisdom Gym, which has been home to Tarleton Men's and Women's Basketball since 1970, after the completion of the events center. Tarleton Volleyball will soon allow more room to accommodate fans in a familiar setting as well as give members of Texan Nation the opportunity to utilize reserved seating for future Texan Volleyball matches.
 
WAC preseason poll
 Tarleton was picked to finish 9th out of 11 in the Western Athletic Conference. With 28 points, the Texans were picked to follow up Southern Utah (34). Tarleton State will go to battle against Grand Canyon, who is projected to win the league, on Sept. 30 in Phoenix, Arizona. 
 

WAC awards
On Oct. 18, Matti Theurer claimed the first WAC award of the season for the Texans as she was named Libero of the Week. In the match against UTA, Theurer saw multiple new season-highs with four aces and four points tallied for the Purple and White. She compiled 39 digs in two matches and averaged 4.17 digs per set. She also contributed eight assists in two matches. 
 
 
Two-way player
 Megan Hodges (S) currently leads the team in assists with 546 and assists per set with 6.00 on the season. Hodges is tied for second most digs with 199 and averages 2.19 digs per set. 
 
Second year stride
In her second season as a Texan, Emma Burke has been a powerhouse player for the Purple and White. In the 2022 season, Burke saw time in 28 matches but the sophomore has surpassed her numbers from the previous season with only 18 matches played for Tarleton State so far. The middle blocker has compiled 173 kills in comparison to her total of 126 in the previous season. With 33 collegiate career aces, 32 coming from the 2023 season, Burke leads the WAC in service aces. The Texas, native, has tallied 41 digs on the season to top her total of 14 in the 2022 season. Burke sits at an impressive 95.0 total blocks on the season so far to surpass her 67.0 total blocks in the previous season. She has also compiled 259.5 points on the season so far in comparison to her 167.0 total previously. 
 
New school, new numbers
With several newcomers putting on the Purple and White for the first time, the newest members of Tarleton Volleyball have seen impressive numbers to greatly contribute to the team's success. Rajini Fitzmaurice comes to Tarleton State from Liberty University. In her first season for the Texans, the outside hitter has quickly become a leading force for Tarleton State compiling 235 kills for the Texans to top her career high season at Liberty of 163 in 2019. Fitzmaurice has beat her previous career high of 18 aces in the 2019 season. The Lake Mary, Florida, native has tallied 21 aces in her first season at Tarleton State with seven set conference matches remaining for the Purple and White. With a 272.0 point contribution to the team, Fitzmaurice has already beaten her previous record in a season with 206.0 points in her first season at Liberty in 2019.