DENTON, Texas– Tarleton State hits the road this weekend for its final three non-conference matches, competing at the UNT Invitational Thursday through Saturday at the UNT Volleyball Center 

The Texans open tournament play against North Texas on Thursday at 7 p.m., followed by East Texas A&M on Friday at 4 p.m., and West Virginia on Saturday at 11 a.m.

Fans can follow the action on Tarleton State's social media pages (@TarletonVB) and through Live Stats provided by Stat Broadcast. The Texans' matches will not be video streamed this weekend.

Tarleton State is coming off a valiant effort in Tuesday's match at Texas Tech, where the Texans came up short 1-3. Tarleton State came out swinging with a .308 hitting percentage while holding Texas Tech to just .034 hitting in the first set. Texas Tech, however, ended with a .522 hitting and did not commit an attack error in the fourth set to take the match following victories in sets two and three. 

At the Tarleton State Invitational last weekend, the Texans swept Sam Houston on Thursday. LaNeah Lara, Alyssa Dinh, Madison Rice-Locket, and Madison Frank led the attack. Junior libero Leddy Rae Guinn also recorded a season-high 20 digs during the matchup with the Bearkats. 

The Texans continued their momentum Friday, defeating Denver in a five-set battle. Lara led Tarleton State with a team-high 16 kills, while Frank recorded a career-high nine blocks.Guinn added a career-high 33 digs. For their efforts, Lara and Guinn were both named to the Tarleton State Invitational All-Tournament Team. 

North Texas finished their 2025 season with a 21-9 record and advanced to the American Conference Championship. Although UNT and Tarleton State do not meet in conference play, the programs have faced each other in tournament competition. North Texas was a contender in the Texan Classic where they beat LA Tech, Arkansas Pine-Bluff, and Tarleton State. In its three-set matchup against North Texas, the Texans led in aces and blocks while North Texas held the advantage in kills and assists. 

The Texans will also face sister school East Texas A&M, a familiar opponent from their Division II days in the Lone Star Conference. This will mark the 48th meeting between the programs, with Tarleton State holding a narrow 24-23 advantage in the all-time series. 

Tarleton State and West Virginia will match up for the first time in program history at the UNT Invitational. The Big 12 opponent finished the 2025 season with a 15-15 overall record and a 3-15 record in conference play. 

Players to watch at the UNT Tournament include kill leaders Lara, Breannah Peterson, Madison Rice-Locket, Alyssa Dinh, and Frank. Defensively, libero Guinn leads the Texans with 174 digs while also recording 32 assists this season. 

First serve for the UNT Invitational is set for 7 p.m. on Thursday.