The Teams: Tarleton State (15-13, 4-8 WAC) at UTRGV (16-11, 10-4 WAC)
Where: Edinburg, Texas
Arena: UTRGV Fieldhouse
Time: 6:30 p.m. CT 
Streaming Platform: ESPN+
 
The Purple and White will head south for a match on Thursday against the No. 3 team in conference, UTRGV. The Texans are coming into the match with back-to-back wins at home against No. 2 in conference, Grand Canyon, and California Baptist. A win over the Vaqueros will secure a spot for Tarleton State in the conference tournament to see the Texans in postseason play for the first time since becoming a Division l institution. A win for Tarleton State would also mark the first ever victory for Texan Volleyball over the Vaqueros in their own territory. 
 
Quick hits
• Tarleton State is tied for sixth with ACU and Utah Valley going into the match. 
• Matti Theurer claimed the title of WAC Libero of the Week for the second time this season on Nov. 8. She first received the award on Oct. 18 to secure the first WAC title of the season for the Texans.  
• The Texans hosted their most recent match where they defeated California Baptist in three sets.   
• This will be the 10th meeting between the Vaqueros and the Texans with an overall record of 5-5. The inaugural meeting took place in 1986 on Oct. 18 at a neutral site and resulted in a 2-1 win for Tarleton State. The next four matches between the two saw the Purple and White on top with 3-2, 3-0, and 3-1 finals. UTRGV claimed the next four matches against the Texans with three 3-1 finals, a 3-2 win and the most recent match seeing a 3-1 result in favor of the Vaqueros. Tarleton State will head south Thursday for the third meeting hosted by UTRGV. A win for the Texans would mark the first ever victory over the Vaqueros on their home turf. 
• Junior Allison Bryant leads the team with 327 kills and 353.0 points. 
• Sophomore Emma Burke has compiled 34 aces for the Texans. She has also amassed 113.0 total blocks for the 2023 season.  
• Sophomore Megan Hodges leads the team with 663 assists on the season. She has also compiled 238 digs and 35 service aces in the 2023 campaign.
• Rajini Fitzmaurice is consistently a key player for Tarleton State. With an impressive season high of 22 kills in the match against the Redhawks, Fitzmaurice has now seen 17 matches with 10+ kills for her overall total of 291 kills for the season. The Florida, native, has compiled 21 aces for the Texans. Fitzmaurice has totaled 209 digs and 343.0 points.  
• The Purple and White have compiled some impressive numbers with 1,422 kills, averaging 12.9 kills per set. The Texans have amassed 1,305 assists, 178 aces and 1,584 digs averaging 14.4 digs per set. The Tarleton State defense consists of 32 solo blocks, 335 block assists and 199.5 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 327. 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 24 matches played for the Texans. She also leads the team with 353.0 points on the season.
In her second season with the Texans, Megan Hodges has quickly put up some impressive numbers. Leading the team with 663 assists, Hodges has made it clear she is here to compete. The setter is in second place for digs with 238 on the season.
Sophomore Emma Burke is a vital part of the Texan's defense. She leads the team and is ranked second in the WAC with 113.0 blocks. The middle blocker is fourth on the team with 213 kills. The returner is a consistent, key player for Tarleton. Burke has also contributed 34 aces for the Texans. 
Defensive specialist Matti Theurer has seen time in each set for the Texans so far this season. Leading the defense with 431 digs, the junior averages 4.03 digs per set. The libero has also amassed 22 aces on the season. 
Another notable returner is junior Grayson Schirpik. The outside hitter from Leander, Texas, is third on the team with 225 kills on the season, averaging 2.06 kills per set. Schirpik also ranks fourth on the team in points with 263.5. 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 301 and season high of 22 kills in the match against Seattle U. The outside hitter is tied for third on the team in service aces with 21 on the season. Fitzmaurice is also in third for digs with 209 on the season, with a career high of 17 against UTSA.
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. Theurer recieved the WAC Libero of the Week award for a second time on Nov. 8, after two big back-to-back wins over GCU and CBU for the Texans. The senior compiled 32 digs in two matches for 4.57 digs per set, 11 assists, and three aces. 
 
 Two-way player
Megan Hodges (S) currently leads the team in assists with 663 and assists per set with 6.03 on the season. Hodges is tied for second most digs with 238 and averages 2.16 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 28 matches played for Tarleton State so far. The middle blocker has compiled 213 kills in comparison to her total of 126 in the previous season. Burke has 35 collegiate career aces, with 34 coming from the 2023 season. The Texas, native, has tallied 47 digs on the season to top her total of 14 in the 2022 season. Burke sits at an impressive 113.0 total blocks on the season so far to surpass her 67.0 total blocks in the previous season. She has also compiled 311.0 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 301 kills for the Texans to top her previous 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 four set conference matches remaining for the Purple and White. With a 343.0 point contribution to the team, Fitzmaurice has beaten her previous record in a season with 206.0 points in her first season at Liberty in 2019.
 

Up next for Texan Volleyball
Following the match against the Vaqueros, Tarleton State will continue their time on the road and close our regular season play in Abilene against the Wildcats on Monday at 6 p.m. The match against ACU can be found on ESPN+.