ARLINGTON, Texas – The UT Arlington volleyball team (0-3) will host the UTA Classic this weekend (Sept. 2-3) as they welcome Texas A&M-Commerce (0-3), Providence (2-1) and North Texas (1-3) to the College Park Center.
Tickets are available for the event and can be purchased online here. The weekend will also feature several promos:
- Saturday night's main event match against North Texas will feature a white out and the first 150 students through the door will get a free t-shirt.
- On Friday, first responders and healthcare professionals can get two free tickets with promo code THANKYOU at UTAtickets.com/promo. Additional tickets are available for $4.
- All day passes are available for $6 while all weekend passes are $10 with promo code WEREBACK at UTAtickets.com/promo.
UTA Notes
Brooke Townsend became the 19th Maverick to reach 1,000 career kills last season and sits just 11 shy of passing Jessica Bowling (1,096, 1995-98) for 15th. Her 1,086 career kills ranks 50th among all active NCAA Division I players, and she's 62nd in career sets played with 400.
Mollie Blank recorded 29 assists in the team's opening weekend to surpass 1,000 in her career. She enters this weekend at 1,003 while
Brianna Ford's 10 blocks this year moves her past the 100 milestone with 108 all-time. Both players are in their third collegiate season.
Alli Wells currently ranks among the top 20 all-time in program history in total digs with 1,224. Just this past weekend, she surpassed Kisha Tucker (1,185, 1997-00) and Teena Sobczak (1,192, 2006-09) for 18th place. Next up is Madelyn St. Germain (1,233 (2016-19). On top of that, Wells ranks 19th among active NCAA Division I players in career digs per set, as well as 45th in total digs.
In season rankings,
Alli Wells ranks 52nd nationally in service aces with seven and 87th in total digs with 50.
Meredith Fisher had a big opening weekend, totaling 15 blocks over the first three matches, including a career-best nine against UC Davis. That output has her ranked first among all WAC players and 95th nationally in blocks per set this year. She also checks in at 60th in total blocks across the country.
There is a 50 percent chance that a Maverick win will be a sweep (3-0). Exactly half (37) of head coach
J.T. Wenger's 74 career wins have come from sweeps. Wenger is in his 6th season at the helm and is coming off a Sun Belt Conference semifinal appearance to end last season.
Brianna Ford spent her 20th birthday in Europe as she participated in the 2022 Global Challenge in Croatia, helping lead her team to a 1st place finish and being named to the all-tournament team.
New Faces
The Mavericks brought in four new faces to the program this season -
Sophie Ocampo (Humble, Texas; Kingwood HS),
Jalie Tritt (Little Rock, Ark.; Episcopal Collegiate School),
Ava Burroughs (Quitman, Texas; Quitman HS), and
Sophie Skinner (Hot Springs, Ark.; Fountain Lake HS). Three of the four saw action in the opening weekend. Skinner competed in the Under Armour All-America Game this past December, which recognizes the most skilled high school players in the country. She was named MVP among the 24 players selected to participate.
The Mavericks return three players who scored over 270 points last season (
Briana Brown,
Brooke Townsend,
Brianna Ford). Overall, UTA will return 76 percent of their total points from a season ago. They also return two all-conference selections from a season ago in Brown (First Team All-SBC) and
Alli Wells (Second Team All-SBC). They will also return former All-SBC selections in Townsend (2019, 2020) and Ford (2020).
Back to the WAC
UTA returns to the WAC this year following an eight-year stint in the Sun Belt Conference. The Mavericks spent one season in the WAC (2012) previously.
This year, UTA was voted to finish eighth in the WAC. New Mexico State, which won the West Division of the WAC last year, was selected as the preseason favorite ahead of Utah Valley, which won the WAC tourney a year ago.
WAC Preseason Poll
1. New Mexico State (6) - 135
2. Utah Valley (5) - 129
3. Grand Canyon (1) - 127
4. Sam Houston (1) - 99
5. Stephen F. Austin - 95
6. California Baptist - 90
7. UTRGV - 86
8. UT Arlington - 54
9. Tarleton - 50
Utah Tech - 50
11. Abilene Christian - 37
12. Southern Utah - 32
13. Seattle - 17
WAC Preseason Awards
Player of the Year: Katie Birtcil, NM State
Libero of the Year: Hannah Baker, Sam Houston
Setter of the Year: Klaire Mitchell, Grand Canyon
Preseason All-WAC Team
Hannah Baker, So., L, Sam Houston
Katie Birtcil, Jr., OH, NM State
Melanie Brecka, Grad, RS, Grand Canyon
Sarah Cruz, Sr., OH, UTRGV
Tori Dorius, Sr., OH, Utah Valley
Christine Graf, Sr., OH, California Baptist
Annabelle Kubinski, Grad, MB, Grand Canyon
Klaire Mitchell, Sr., S, Grand Canyon
Lia Mosher, Grad, MB, NM State
Kazna Tanuvasa, Grad, OH, Utah Valley
McKenzie Wise, So., OH, Grand Canyon
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