No. 1 Lady Buffs Opens 2023 at The Box for BritKare Lady Buff Classic

Mar 08, 2024

Volleyball 8/31/2023 9:21:00 AM

Match NotesLive StatsLive StreamTournament Central CANYON, Texas – The defending NCAA National Champion Lady Buffs of West Texas A&M start off the 2023 season this weekend as they host the annual BritKare Lady Buff Classic on September 1-2. The tournament features five Division II programs with Adams State, Davenport, East Central, St. Mary's, and No. 1 WT. LIVE COVERAGEA live stream and stats will be provided for the entire 2023 BritKare Lady Buff Classic provided by the WT Athletic Communications department. All matches for the tournament will be aired on the Lone Star Conference Digital Network. Fans will be able to purchase a $15 daily pass that will give them access to all contests on the network that day as well as access to previously aired games from the current season for 24 hours. Fans can also purchase a $30 monthly pass that will give them access to all Lone Star Conference games and matches. In addition to live and archived streaming options, viewers will have the option to purchase and download games from all previous years for $140 for the 2023 year. SCOUTING THE COMPETITIONEast Central (Sept. 1 / 11:30 a.m.)East Central has transitioned to new leadership with first year head coach Danielle Essix taking the reigns. The Tigers are picked to finish seventh in the Great American Conference and are led by junior outside hitter, Emma Strickland. ECU finished fifth in the GAC championship tournament in 2022 and tied their most wins (15) last season.

Adams State (Sept. 1 / 7 p.m.)The Grizzlies open the tournament against St. Mary's before facing WT in the final game on Friday. Adams State finished 8-18 and 5-13 in conference. They are led by first year head coach Julie Allen after she was selected as the tenth head coach in program history. The Grizzlies kept a key core from last season with nine returners to hit the court on Friday.

St. Mary's (Sept. 2 / 2:00 p.m.)Third-year head coach Laura Ulrich and the Rattlers were selected to finish sixth in the Lone Star Conference Preseason Poll after finishing 14-14 with an appearance in the conference tournament last season. Junior setter, Cali Nims, is back for the Rattlers along with sophomore standout middle block Dallasstar Johnson. Johnson was selected to the LSC All-Freshman team and honorable mention All-Conference.

Davenport (Sept. 2 / 7 p.m.)

The Panthers open the tournament against St. Mary's before facing WT in the final game on Saturday. Davenport finished 22-9 and 13-5in conference. They are led by fourth yearhead coach Brian Netzler who guided DU to a third straight GLIAC tournament appearance. Davenport finished third in conference last season and was led by graduate student outside hitter Lindsay Tayor. The Miami (Ohio) transfer made an immediate impact last season with 3.66 points per set and 428 points for the Panthers.

2022 RECAP

The Lady Buffs are coming off another historical season as they finished 33-4 with the programs fourth National Championship and 15th appearance in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight. Their 17th Lone Star Conference Tournament Title earned them the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament for the 28th time in school history. The Lady Buffs earned No. 2 seed for the regional tournament where they battled and won their 15th South Central Regional title to advance to the Elite Eight. The Lady Buffs continue into the 2023 season with a 26-game winning streak. HOME DOMINANCEWT houses one of the best home environments in the country across all of NCAA volleyball.The WTAMU Fieldhouse, best known as "The Box" is home to 20 Lone Star Conference Championships, 15 regional titles and four NCAA Division II National Championships. At "The Box", the Lady Buffs are 523-83 since 1980 for an incredible winning percentage of 86% and 96% during conference play.

WE'RE NUMBER 1!The defending NCAA National Champions Lady Buffs were picked #1 in the LSC preseason rankings with 42-of-45 possible first-place votes for a total of 762 points. UT Tyler was selected second (644) followed by Texas A&M Kingsville (590), DBU (2 fpv, 564) and Angelo State (519) rounding out the top five.

PRESEASON HONORSThree Lady Buffs received preseason honors as senior Torrey Miller was voted as the LSC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year while sophomore Taytum Stow was voted as LSC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year and junior Blair Moreland was named a Preseason Player to Watch. IN THE POLLSFor the first time in 22 years, the West Texas A&M Lady Buffs enter the 2023 season ranked #1 following the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) NCAA Division II Preseason Poll released on Aug. 22.

NEW FACESWT welcomed 7 newcomers to roster with two transfers and five true freshmen. The 2023 newcomers include Kelsey Carpenter, Brynne Wright, Riess Griffith, Haylee Hurtado, Sharlotte McClintock and Aubrey Wheelock.

WT HEAD COACH KENDRA POTTSKendra Potts begins her fifth season as the helm of Lady Buff Volleyball with an overall 91-20 (.819) record and 53-10 (.841) in league play. Pottsled her alma mater to the program's 4th NCAA National Championship after capturing the South Central Regional title to become the sixth head coach in program history to guide WT to the Elite Eight. Coach Potts was named the AVCA Division II National Head Coach of the Year following her 33-4 record and 26 game winning streak for the 2022 season.

COMIN' IN HOTThe Lady Buffs are no-stranger to starting off the season hot as WT is 38-8 all-time in season openers including 34-3 when opening inside of The Box. The Lady Buffs opened last season with a 3-0 victory over Adams State led by 10 kills from Torrey Miller.

BRITKARE COURTWT Athletics proudly announced a new state-of-the-art court for the historic home of Lady Buff Volleyball thanks to a generous gift from BritKare Home Medical that highlighted the 2021 season. ­BritKare Court at The Box features a top-line Taraflex court surface that is widely used in Division I arenas, professional volleyball and was most recently featured at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. UP NEXTFollowing the BritKare Lady Buff Classic, the Lady Buffs will continue preseason play in Denver, Colo. after receiving an invitation to the 2023 Colorado Premier Challenge on Sept. 8-9. WT will face Lewis and #3 MSU Denver in the opening rounds before bracket play on Saturday.

FOLLOW THE LADY BUFFSFans can follow and stay up to date on all the Lady Buff action on online and on social media. Follow the Lady Buffs on Twitter (@WTVolleyball), Instagram (@ladybuffvolleyball), and Facebook (@WTVolleyball).

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