FORT SMITH, Ark. - University of Arkansas - Fort Smith Volleyball continues its nonconference schedule this weekend by travelling to a familiar destination for Denton Volleyfest on the campus of Texas Woman's University.
Friday will see the Lions take on in-state foe Henderson State for only the second time in program history at 11:30 a.m. followed by a matchup against former Lone Star Conference opponent and host Texas Woman's at 4:30 p.m.
UAFS then takes on Colorado Christian at 11:30 a.m. Saturday and wraps up the weekend against another LSC foe in Midwestern State at 7 p.m.
All four matches will be streamed on FloVolleyball with live stats available at uafortsmithlions.com.
NOTES:
LAST WEEK: The Lions opened the season 2-1 at the Mountain Lion Classic, defeating University of Mary and Cameron before dropping the finale to host Colorado Springs.
BLOCK PARTY: UAFS recorded double-digit blocks in all three matches and ranks third nationally with 3.23 blocks per set. Right-side hitter Morgan Creer leads the Lions with 1.69 blocks per set.
.320: UAFS hit above .320 in each of its wins last weekend but hit just .180 in its lone loss.
MEET IN THE MIDDLE: Middle blockers Brianna Ball and Hannah Watkins combined to hit .480 with 42 kills and 32 blocks last weekend.
FANTASTIC FRESHMEN: Freshmen Lyric Steward and Creer each recorded matches with double digit kills, while setter Scarlette Young had two double-doubles, hit .415 and averaged 8.54 assists per set.
RECORD WATCH: Watkins ranks ninth with 176 total blocks, seventh with 48 solo blocks and ninth with 128 assisted blocks.
SCOUTING HSU: The Reddies have started the season 5-0 after an undefeated Reddie-Tiger Invitational. HSU held its opponents to a .060 attack percentage over the weekend, led by libero Kaylon Partain, who averaged 4.19 digs per set.
SCOUTING TWU: The Pioneers started the season 1-2 against tough competition under first-year head coach Jessica Ransom. Offensively, outside hitter Tori Woods averages 3.46 kills per set for the Pioneers.
SCOUTING CCU: The Cougars split their first four matches of the season at the Golden Eagle Classic in Irvine, California. CCU has two players averaging more than 3.0 kills per set while middle hitter Renee Phillips is hitting .411 on the year. Setter Izzy Jones is averaging 9.64 assists per set.
SCOUTING MSU: The Mustangs opened the year 3-1 on their home court and are led by outside hitters Demi Stauffenberg and Riley Rabedeaux, who each tallied 49 kills over the weekend. Defensively, libero Jenna Redding averages a team-high 4.13 digs per set.
THE SERIES: This will be the first meeting between UAFS and Colorado Christian and second meeting against Henderson State, which UAFS won, 3-1, in 2017. UAFS is 7-2 against both Texas Woman's and Midwestern State.
