ARLINGTON – Head Coach
J.T. Wenger and the UTA volleyball team (8-3, 8-3 SBC) will host their final Sun Belt series of the 2020 season when they welcome Louisiana (15-4, 9-4 SBC) to College Park Center this weekend. On Friday, the Mavs and Ragin' Cajuns will battle twice (11:00 a.m., 6:00 p.m.), before facing off in the series finale on Saturday afternoon (1:00 p.m.).
MATCH 1 | UTA (8-3, 8-3 SBC) vs. Louisiana (15-4, 9-4 SBC)
When: Friday, Nov. 6 | 11:00 A.M.
Where: Arlington, Texas | College Park Center
Live Stats |
ESPN+
MATCH 2 | UTA (8-3, 8-3 SBC) vs. Louisiana (15-4, 9-4 SBC)
When: Friday, Nov. 6 | 6:00 P.M.
Where: Arlington, Texas | College Park Center
Live Stats |
ESPN+
MATCH 3 | UTA (8-3, 8-3 SBC) vs. Louisiana (15-4, 9-4 SBC)
When: Saturday, Nov. 7 | 1:00 P.M.
Where: Arlington, Texas | College Park Center
Live Stats |
ESPN+
KNOW YOUR OPPONENT | LOUISIANA
- Louisiana comes into the weekend riding a 3-match winning streak.
- This weekend, the Ragin' Cajuns are looking to reach double-digit Sun Belt Conference victories in back-to-back seasons for the first time ever.
- Dating back to last season, Louisiana has won 10 consecutive regular season road matches (with a 30-6 record in sets played).
- Hali Wisnoskie is rapidly approaching 1,300 career kills – a level reached by only two other players in program history. She comes to Arlington with 1,275 career kills. Wisnoskie is also one of only five (5) active players in NCAA Division I Volleyball with 1,200-plus career kills (currently ranks No. 5 with 1,275 career kills)
UTA NOTES
- UTA has posted a 79-53 record in SBC play since joining the league in 2013.
- The Mavericks have won 10+ SBC matches in four of their seven seasons in the league. UTA is now two wins from reaching the 10-win plateau for a fifth time in eight Sun Belt seasons.
- The Mavs have won 3 of their last 5 matches.
- UTA ranks second in the SBC in digs per set (19.12) and kills per set (13.88), No. 3 in assists per set (12.51) and service aces per set (1.54) and No. 4 in hitting percentage (.202).
-
Brooke Townsend leads the team with 3.32 kills per set to ranks No. 6 in the Sun Belt.
- The Lady Mavericks setting duo of
Kylee Kapp and
Mollie Blank average 5.67 and 5.13 assists per set, respectively. Kapp is No. 6 in the Sun Belt with 0.36 aces per set (13 total).
- Michael Wright is having a breakout season and leads the team with 35 total blocks and is 5th on the squad in kills.
-
Alli Wells leads the team and league with 6.10 digs per set.
HUGE WEEKEND
The three-match series at the College Park Center between Louisiana and UT Arlington will pay huge dividends for the winner. Currently the Ragin' Cajuns and Mavericks are in a virtual tie for the No. 2 seed out of the Sun Belt West Division.
UTA needs to win 2 of the 3 matches over Louisiana to lock up the No. 2 in the west division.
SBC ANNOUNCES NEW VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP FORMAT
For Sun Belt Volleyball programs, there will be a new path to a title in 2020. The conference announced a new championship format Tuesday that includes all 12 teams competing with pool play leading into a four-team knockout round bracket in a new five-day format that will take place in Foley, Ala.
Teams will be divided into four pools of three teams each and each squad will play two matches over three days starting Wednesday, Nov. 18. Pool winners will then advance to a single elimination knockout round bracket starting on Saturday, Nov. 21 at 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. with the semifinals followed by the tournament championship match on Sunday, Nov. 22 at 1 p.m.
All matches will be streamed live on ESPN+ and will be held at the Foley Sports Complex.
The pools will be comprised of a mixture of East and West Division teams after the league played a divisional-only schedule in 2020.
Pool A consists of the No. 1 East Division team along with the No. 4 West Division team and the No. 6 East Division team. That pool's winner will face the Pool D winner in the semifinals of the knockout round, a pool that consists of the No. 2 West Division, No. 3 East Division and No. 5 West Division teams.
Pool B includes the No. 2 East Division, No. 3 West Division and No. 5 East Division teams while Pool C is comprised of the No. 1 West Division, No. 4 East Division and No. 6 West Division teams. The two pool winners will meet in the second semifinal match.
UTA ATHLETICS LAUNCHES UTA BEATS CANCER CAMPAIGN
With October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, UT Arlington Athletics has announced that the department's UTA Beats Cancer initiative is back to raise funds and awareness for the cause. The campaign kicked off on Friday,October 30 for UTA volleyball's home match against Texas State.
The UTA Beats Cancer initiative is a year-round effort which begins in the fall with volleyball and concludes in the spring with the baseball and softball teams. All UTA athletic teams to join the UTA Beats Cancer campaign and each team will have their own fundraising efforts and their own cancer awareness initiative.
UTA Athletics will be fundraising throughout the season and during the designated home events, with proceeds benefiting local cancer patient and outreach platforms in Arlington through the Moncrief Cancer Institute. The fundraising goal for the 2020-21 academic year is $10,000, and fans can join the cause by easily donating online (
https://www.moncrief.com/uta).
ESPN+
UTA recognizes the importance of a quality broadcast experience for fans and supporters of the program with no spectators allowed at the CPC this volleyball season. Because of that – for the first time in department history – all home matches will be broadcast live on ESPN+. That is the same platform all home men's and women's basketball games have appeared on the last couple of years; for additional information or to subscribe to ESPN+, visit espnplus.com.
COLLEGE PARK CENTER GAMEDAY INFO
In an attempt to create as much of a 'bubble-like' atmosphere to protect student-athletes, coaches and staff from UT Arlington and opposing teams – NO FANS, other than two (2) direct family members of opposing team student-athletes and current UTA volleyball student-athletes, will be permitted at home volleyball matches inside the College Park Center this year.
Masks are required at ALL TIMES while in the arena.
FOLLOW THE MAVS
For the latest news on UTA Volleyball, log on to
UTAMavs.com or stay connected to the Mavs on social media. Follow the Mavericks on Twitter
@UTAMavsVB, on Instagram
@UTAMavsVB and on Facebook at
Facebook.com/UTAMavsVB.