ARLINGTON, TX – The UT Arlington volleyball team opens the 2026 season Friday, Aug. 28, as they travel to Fayetteville, Arkansas, for the Razorback Invitational at the Barnhill Arena.
 
The Mavericks open the tournament against UTSA at 4 p.m. CT Friday before facing SIUE at 11 a.m. on Saturday. UTA closes the weekend against host Arkansas at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
 
UTA's matchup against Arkansas will be streamed on SEC Network+, while live stats will be available for all three matches.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
UTA vs UTSA (Friday 4 p.m. CT)
Barnhill Arena, Fayetteville, Ark.
Live Stats
 
UTA vs SIUE (Saturday 11 a.m. CT)
Barnhill Arena, Fayetteville, Ark.
Live Stats
 
UTA vs Arkansas (Saturday 7 p.m. CT)
Barnhill Arena, Fayetteville, Ark.
Live Stats
SECN+
 
OVERVIEW ON LAST SEASON
The Mavericks finished the 2025 season with an 11-14 overall record and a 3-9 mark in WAC play. The 2025 season marked the first season under head coach Tania Schatow as UTA continued to build on the program's tradition of success.
 
Throughout the season, the Mavericks established themselves as one of the WAC's strongest serving and defensive teams, leading the conference in service aces and aces per set at multiple points during the season.
 
MAVERICK SENIORITY
UTA welcome 10 newcomers to the roster this season with senior Evyn Snook and junior Erica Dellesky serving as team captains. Lily Hopkins, Karisa Martin, Camryn McMinn and Lucy Tricco comprise the 2026 VB Leadership Committee.
 
The Mavericks' senior class of Snook, Hopkins, Hana Aiana and Samantha Glenn provides experience and leadership heading into the 2026 campaign.
 
EVYN SNOOK, SR., MAGNOLIA, TEXAS

• Snook, the four-year vet, finished last season with 179 kills, 27 service aces and 565 total attempts.

HANA AIANA, SR., MOLOKAI, HAWAII – JAX STATE

• In her first year with the Mavericks after transferring in from Jax State, Aiana totaled 54 kills with a .265 hitting percentage and contributed defensively with 20 digs and 33 total blocks, averaging 2.11 points per set.

SAMANTHA GLENN, SR., GRAPEVINE, TEXAS

• Another four-year vet in Glenn, led the team with 437 digs, averaging 4.12 digs per set while also recording 29 service aces--4x WAC Libero of the Week.

LILY HOPKINS, SR., TOMBALL, TEXAS – ALABAMA

• After spending three years at Alabama, Hopkins came closer to home to join UTA's well-known bioengineering master's program.
• The Tomball, Texas native who played in 51 collegiate matches across three seasons, including a career best vs. Wake Forest (2025) and six kills vs. Ole Miss (2024)

 
RETURNERS TO WATCH
SOPHIA KRICHEV, SO., HUNTSVILLE, ALA.

• Krichev played in 92 sets and appeared in 25 matches, recording 161 kills and 68 total blocks.
• She averaged 1.75 kills and 2.23 points per set while contributing 15 digs and 21 service aces.
• Selected to 2025 All-WAC Freshman Team

CAMRYN MCMINN, SO., PELHAM, ALA.

• McMinn started 15 matches and played in 76 sets, totaling 194 kills and 81 digs.
• She averaged 2.55 kills and 2.72 points per set while adding 20 total blocks and 13 service aces, ranking among the team's top offensive contributors in her collegiate debut season.
• Selected to 2025 All-WAC Freshman Team

 
NEWCOMERS TO WATCH
KARISA MARTIN, JR., MONROE, WASH.

• Martin comes to UTA as a juco product from Bellevue College where she was a 4x NWAC North Region Offensive player of the week and 2x NWAC First Team selection.

ERICA DELLESKY, JR., KATY, TEXAS

• Dellesky joins UTA after an impressive start to her collegiate career at Virginia Tech. In 52 matches and 167 sets played, Dellesky has totaled 629 assists and 214 digs.

MAZI SMITH, SO., PAMPA, TEXAS – UNIVERSITY OF THE PACIFIC

• Smith played 84 sets in 27 matches at Pacific.
• She totaled 177.5 points with 163 kills (1.94 per set) and five assists, recorded 41 digs and 27 blocks, tallied a season-high in kills (15) and digs (10) against Santa Clara (Nov. 8).

LUCY TRICCO, FR., AURORA, COLO.

• Tricco joins UTA after a standout career at Regis Jesuit High School and Front Range Volleyball Club. Tricco was named to the All-Aurora Team and earned second-team all-conference and first-team all-academic all-conference honors.
• A six-rotation player for one of Colorado's top-ranked club teams, she helped Front Range to a national bid three consecutive years and in her high school career, she has totaled more than 1,000 career assists.

DIXIE NESSL, FR., SONORA, CALIF.

• Nessl comes to UTA following an impressive career at Sonora High School and Rage Volleyball Club. A four-time honor roll student, Nessl earned TVL First-Team All-League and Mother Lode Academic All-League.
• She was also an Academic Block "S" award recipient, an honor given to students with a cumulative GPA of 3.7 or higher, ranked first in the state for hitting percentage among middle blockers (.436), while finishing second overall in the SAC-Joaquin Division 4.
   

 
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 X (formally known as Twitter) @UTAMavsVB, on Instagram @UTAMavsVB and on Facebook at Facebook.com/UTAMavsVB.