DBU (0-0), EAST CENTRAL (0-0), MINNESOTA ST. MOORHEAD (0-0), SOUTHWEST BAPTIST (0-0), ST. EDWARD'S (0-0)
September 5-6 | Dallas, TX | The Burg Center

MULTIMEDIA COVERAGE
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DBU WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL ON FLO COLLEGE
The broadcast team of Ryan Wilson, Anderson Collins, and Alexis Delagarza will bring fans the action all weekend long from The Burg Center on FloCollege.

A NEW BEGINNING
The Lady Patriots were picked to finish fourth in the Lone Star Conference Preseason Poll and also received Top 25 votes in the AVCA/Taraflex DII Women's Volleyball Preseason Poll, but are currently unranked.

Last season, DBU cracked the AVCA Top 25 for the first time in program history, ranking as high as No. 20. In 2023 and 2024, the Lady Patriots ended their season in the semifinals of the South Central Regional in the NCAA Tournament. This fall, Head Coach Jordan Fish and her squad eye yet another postseason run, and the journey will begin like it did last year: Hosting the Dallas Classic.

DALLAS CLASSIC
Four programs from across the country will make their way to University Hill as DBU hosts the Dallas Classic to open the new season. The field features East Central (GAC), Minnesota State Moorhead (NSIC), Southwest Baptist (GLVC), and St. Edward's (LSC). Representing South Austin, St. Edward's is the lone Texas team making the trip, though their journey isn't the shortest. That distinction belongs to East Central, traveling down from Ada, Oklahoma. Southwest Baptist makes the trek from Bolivar, Missouri, while Minnesota State Moorhead faces the longest travel day of all, heading south from Moorhead, Minnesota.

DBU will face Southwest Baptist and East Central on Friday, and will conclude their weekend against Minnesota State Moorhead on Saturday afternoon.

PATRIOT STORYLINES
Frequent Flyers: Over the past three seasons, DBU has recorded the three highest team averages for kills per set in program history (2022- 13.67, 2023- 13.32, 2024- 13.47). Coach Jordan Fish, who is entering her fourth season at the helm, has bolstered this offense since her arrival.
The Veterans: Junior outside Karly Wells headlines a group of returners who look to fill the legacy left by last year's senior class.
Re-tooling: The Lady Patriots brought in a group of six transfers, four of whom came from DI programs, while six more joined the team as freshmen.
Replacing a Legend: DBU looks to replace the production of two-time All-American outside Delaney Fuller, who broke the school record for single-season kills twice, and is the all-time program leader in kills per set with 3.97.
Stepping Up: Karly Wells will presumably take on the lead role in the Lady Patriot attack with Fuller's absence. Wells already holds a career average of 3.17 kills per set, and she should see an increase in attack volume this season.
Fresh Impact: Senior middle Madison Clark is the lone senior on this team and brings a strong blocking prowess to the net. Clark led Jacksonville University in solo blocks last fall with 12 and accrued 48 total blocks.
Enhanced Leadership: Entering her first year at DBU, Assistant Coach Torrey Miller joins Coach Fish with a championship pedigree. A standout at West Texas A&M, Miller was named the NCAA Division II Tournament MVP in 2022 after leading the Lady Buffs to a National Championship.

SCOUTING WEEKEND OPPONENTS
Southwest Baptist:
- Senior Katie Pogue will handle the setting duties for the Bearcats. Last season, Pogue eclipsed 1,000 career assists and currently sits at 1,280 for her career.
- Junior Hannah Jackson is the lead returning attacker for SBU, with 882 attack attempts last season, amassing 322 kills. Jackson played her freshman season at Oral Roberts University and totaled 74 kills at the DI level.
- Junior middle Rory Stanley has 230 total blocks to her name across two seasons. Stanley was named the Great Lakes Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Week in November of last fall.
- In 2024, Southwest Baptist finished 14-16 under Head Coach James Hanger, who will enter his sixth season at SBU. The Bearcats have turned in three consecutive 14-win seasons.
East Central:
- The Tigers were picked to finish fifth in the Great American Conference Preseason Poll.
- East Central defeated DBU in the final game of the Dallas Classic in 2024.
- In that Patriot loss, outside/opposite Faiana Halaota posted 13 kills on 26 attempts, two off of her eventual season-high of 15.
- The Tigers' points leader in that contest, Emma Strickland, graduated this past season. She had a team-leading 19 kills and also tallied 16 digs.
- Libero Valentina Tijerina returns this year after posting a team-leading 17 digs against DBU last season, and finished the year with 171 to her name.
- Danielle Essex will begin her third season as the Head Coach for East Central. Last year, the Tigers posted a program-best 18-14 record.
Minnesota State Moorhead:
- Moorhead was selected to finish 12th in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Preseason Coaches Poll.
- Junior outside/middle Raiah Mandell was tabbed as the Player to Watch by the NSIC. Last fall, Mandell posted 1.69 kills per set and amassed 33 total blocks.
- The Dragons returned a whopping 16 players from last year's roster.
- Junior libero Kiara Olesch returns after a season where she totaled 3.71 digs per set and 25 service aces across the season.
- Head Coach Kari Thompson enters her third season at the helm. Last year, the Dragons posted a 9-17 record.

SERIES HISTORY
Southwest Baptist:
The Lady Patriots and the Bearcats have split their two all-time meetings, with both contests stretching to five sets. DBU claimed the inaugural matchup at the 2010 Washburn Classic, before SBU evened the series with a victory at the same invitational the following year.
East Central:
DBU leads the all-time series with East Central, 4-2. The Lady Patriots dominated the first three meetings in 2010, 2011, and 2014, dropping two sets combined across the three meetings. Since then, DBU has gone 1-2 against the Tigers, including a loss in last year's Dallas Classic.
Minnesota State Moorhead:
Saturday will be the first-ever meeting between the Lady Patriots and the Dragons.

UP NEXT
Following the Dallas Classic, DBU will travel to Amherst, New York, to play in the Wildcat Classic at Daemen University. The Lady Patriots will play three contests in New York before returning to Texas for the Lone Star Conference Challenge hosted by Texas Woman's University.