The Teams: Tarleton Texans (6-5, 0-0 WAC) vs. UC Riverside Highlanders (0-9, 0-0 BWC); Texas Southern (0-11, 0-0 SWAC) vs. UMES (5-4, 0-0 MEAC)
Where: Stephenville, Texas
Arena: Wisdom Volleyball Gym
Times: Friday: 6 p.m. CT; Saturday: 2 p.m. CT, 6 p.m. CT
Streaming Platform: ESPN+ for all Tarleton matches, WAC International for all non-Tarleton matches 
 
Tarleton State Volleyball is set to host the second annual Dr. Pam Littleton Classic Sept. 15-16. The Texans will play their first match on Friday at 6 p.m. against the Highlanders of UCR. On Saturday, the Purple and White will go head-to-head with the Texas Southern Tigers at 2 p.m. Tarleton State will close out the tournament with a match against the Hawks of UMES with a 6 p.m. match time. 
 
Quick Hits 
• This will be the second Dr. Pam Littleton Classic Tarleton State Volleyball has hosted. 
• The late Pam Littleton served as a Professor of Mathematics at Tarleton State University from 1988 until she retired in 2011. She was the first female professor from Tarleton to receive the Regents Professor designation from the Texas A&M University System. Pam was a staunch supporter of Tarleton Athletics and Tarleton Volleyball specifically. Her husband Mark has carried on the tradition of supporting Tarleton Athletics and will be in attendance for the tribute, as he is for nearly all Tarleton home matches.
• This will be the fourth and final pre-conference tournament of the season for the Texans. 
• Tarleton State heads into the Dr. Pam Littleton Classic after a win over Prairie View A&M. The Texans claimed the match 3-1 in the Panthers territory. 
• The Purple and White head into tournament play 6-5 on the season. Tarleton State has compiled 605 kills averaging 13.4 per set. Junior Allison Bryant as tallied 159 kills to lead the team and the conference in kills. The Texans have racked up 562 assists on the season with 277 of those coming from sophomore Megan Hodges. The team has totaled 64 service aces with Emma Burke contributed 14 of her own to lead the category for Tarleton State. Matti Theurer leads the Purple and White in digs with 169 to add to the team total of 662 digs and 14.7 digs per set.
• In their most recent tournament appearance, the Texans swept the Lions of A&M-Commerce and the tournament host, UAB in the first day of action. In day two, Tarleton State went head-to-head with Alabama. The Purple and White took the Crimson Tide to five sets and fell just short ending set five 10-15.
• Following the conclusion of the Dr. Pam Littleton Classic, Tarleton State will head open conference play with two home matches against Utah Valley and Seattle U. 
 
Notables
            
Watch List
In the 2023 season, Tarleton State Volleyball will welcome 11 new players to the roster. Accompanying the new members are seven familiar faces you can find on Tarleton's roster. Here are a few that are making some waves in Texan Nation.
 
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 159. 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 10 out of 11 matches played for the Texans. She also leads the team with 170.0 points on the season.
In her second season with the Texans, Megan Hodges has quickly put up some impressive numbers. Leading the team with 277 assists, Hodges has made it clear she is here to compete. The setter ais also tied for second place for digs with 92 on the season.
Sophomore Emma Burke is a vital part of the Texan's defense. Leading the team with 41.0 blocks and sitting in third place on the team with 105 kills, the returner is a consistent, key player for Tarleton. Burke also leads the Texans in service aces with 14. 
Defensive specialist Matti Theurer has seen time in each set for the Texans so far this season. Leading the defensive with 169 digs, the junior averages 3.76 digs per set.
Another notable returner is junior Grayson Schirpik. The outside hitter from Leander, Texas, currently sits in second on the team with 105 kills on the season, averaging 2.39 kills per set. Schirpik also ranks fourth on the team in points with 120.5. She sits in third on the team in service aces with eight on the season. 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 108. The outside hitter sits in fifth for service aces with 7 on the season, three of those coming from the match against the UTSA Roadrunners. Fitzmaurice is also in third for digs with 92 on the season, with a career high of 17 against UTSA. The senior also sits in fifth for block assists with 12.         
 
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 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 in 2022
Freshman right side Breanna McDonough was named the WAC Freshman of the Week on Oct. 10 after she posted a career-high 14 kills in a win over Southern Utah the week prior. McDonough finished the 2022 season with a compiled 244 kills averaged 2.28 kills per set. 
            
Ranked in the WAC in 2022
Allison Bryant leads the WAC with 159 kills and sits fourth in the WAC with 3.53 kills per set. Bryant leads the conference with 170 points. Emma Burke leads the WAC in total blocks with 41. Matti Theurer sits in first for total digs with 169. Megan Hodges is tied for fourth place in total assists with 277. 
            
Two-way player
Megan Hodges (S) currently leads the team in assists with 277 and assists per set with 6.16 on the season. Hodges is tied for second most digs with 92 and averages 2.04 digs per set.