FORT SMITH, Ark. – University of Arkansas – Fort Smith Volleyball will serve up its season opener this weekend as the Lady Lions head to West Texas A&M for the BritKare Lady Buff Classic September 3-4.
UAFS is scheduled to play four matches over the two days, with three matches at the WTAMU Fieldhouse "The Box" and one at the First United Bank Center.
The only match UAFS will play at the FUBC will be its opener Friday at 11:30 a.m. against Fort Lewis College. Later that afternoon, UAFS will switch to The Box to face Southwestern Oklahoma State at 4:30 p.m.
Saturday UAFS will take on Adams State at 9 a.m. and host West Texas A&M at 4:30 p.m., both at The Box.
Tickets will be available at the door and in advance at the WTAMU Athletics Ticket Office for $5.
All matches will feature live stats and video on the Lone Star Conference Digital Network. Fans can purchase a daily pass to the LSC Digital Network for $10 or a season pass for $50. All links can be accessed on uafortsmithlions.com.
NOTES:
LAST SEASON: UAFS finished 11-3 overall and won the LSC North Division, advancing to the semifinals of the LSC Tournament.
KEY RETURNERS: The Lady Lions return four All-LSC performers from a year ago in right-side hitter Courtney Crownover, middle blocker Hannah Holland, libero Lexy Lewis and outside hitter Reagan Macha.
NEW FACES: Four have joined the UAFS program for 2021 – setter Chloe Price, outside hitter Paola Fragalle, outside hitter Abby Cagle and setter/outside hitter Chloe Alderson.
696: Head Coach Jane Sargent enters her 24th season at the helm of the Lady Lions with 696 career victories. She can join a list of just over 60 collegiate coaches to achieve 700 career wins.
PRESEASON POLL: UAFS was picked to finish fifth in this season's LSC Preseason Poll.
RECORD WATCH: Libero Lexy Lewis moved into the top-10 on the all-time digs list in the NCAA era with 662, just 43 digs shy of Fabiane Nass's 705 in ninth. Her career average of 3.87 digs per set ranks sixth.
UNFAMILIAR FOES: This will be the first all-time meeting between UAFS and Fort Lewis and just the second matchup versus Adams State.
