MOBILE/TROY, Ala. – The UT Arlington volleyball team will travel to Alabama to open Sun Belt Conference play taking on South Alabama (Friday, Sept. 24) in Mobile and Troy (Saturday, Sept. 25) in Troy.
UTA NOTES
- UTA picked up their first two wins of the season last weekend, defeating Prairie View A&M (3-0) and Northwestern State (3-2). The match against Prairie View marked the first three-set match of the season for UTA.
- Brooke Townsend enters this weekend with 930 career kills, just 70 shy of becoming the 19th Maverick to enter the 1,000 kill club. She is currently 6th in the Sun Belt in points per set (3.57).
- Not missing a beat from last year, Alli Wells picked right where she left off. The sophomore leads the SBC in digs per set and ranks 23rd in the nation with 5.13 digs per set.
- After a rough start to the season, Briana Brown turned it on last weekend finishing with 39 kills (3.00 k/s) while hitting .269. She was named to the Maverick Invitational All-Tournament Team.
- Also named to the Maverick Invitational All-Tournament Team was Brooke Townsend. The junior led the Mavericks with 46 kills (3.83 k/s) and five aces. She finished with 4.46 points per set.
- The Mavericks as a team rank in the Top 10 in the NCAA in two categories - digs per set and attacks per set. UTA ranks 7th in the country in digs per set (18.44) and 8th in the country in attacks per set (38.92).
- UTA leads the Sun Belt Conference in digs per set (18.44) and attacks per set (38.92), while ranking 2nd in blocks per set (2.24) and third in total blocks (87.5).
NEW FACES
- The Mavericks have 11 freshmen on their team - only three of which are first year players due to COVID-19 eligibility - defensive specialist Kaylen Beaty (Fort Worth, Texas; Boswell HS), outside hitter Lauren Staruch (Lake Orion, Mich.; Lake Orion HS), and middle blocker Monica LaFleur (Hartland, Wisc.; Arrowhead HS).
- Wenger brought in three transfers in the offseason – junior outside hitter Nya Blair (Grand Prairie, Texas; San Diego State), sophomore defensive specialist Emily Larson (Nashotah, Wisc.; UW-Green Bay), and graduate senior middle blocker Kainah Williams (Spring Branch, Texas; Liberty).
SERIES HISTORY - SOUTH ALABAMA
- The Mavs hold an 8-4 record against South Alabama, winning 7 of the first 8 matches. However, the Jags have taken three of the last four matches
SERIES HISTORY - TROY
- The Mavs hold an 9-3 record against Troy but has dropped two straight, including a loss in the SBC Tournament a season ago. The Mavs won 9 of the first 10 matches to start the series.
SOUTH ALABAMA COVID PROTOCOLS
- Fans traveling to Mobile will be required to wear masks inside Jag Gym except while eating or drinking. Concession stands will be available. Gates will open 60 minutes prior to first serve.
UP NEXT
- UTA will return to Arlington next weekend (Oct. 1-2) to take on Louisiana and ULM. The match against ULM will be UTA's annual UTA Beats Cancer match.
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