#11 Tarleton is defending home turf and a 20-game winning streak this weekend

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AT A GLANCE
No. 11 Tarleton Volleyball has a chance to clinch its second straight Lone Star Conference championship this weekend as they’re set to take on MSU Texas and Cameron. Tarleton will host MSU Texas on Friday, Oct. 26 at 6 p.m. and can clinch a share of the LSC title with a win. The TexAnns can secure the championship outright with wins in both matches. This is the first time Tarleton Volleyball has a chance to clinch the conference championship at home with the 2015 and 2017 regular season titles coming on the road at Cameron. If Tarleton wins the conference championship, they will host the LSC Tournament in the Wisdom Volleyball Gym on Nov. 8-10.

POLYNESIAN NIGHT
There’s a luau in Wisdom Gym Friday night as the TexAnns host Polynesian Night. There will be 200 free purple and white leis given away while supplies last.

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SENIOR DAY
Tarleton will host Cameron on Saturday at 1 p.m. for Senior Day. The TexAnns will recognize the accomplishments of their four seniors – Elizabeth Muliaga, Blanca Izquierdo, Hannah McManus, and Adrianna Knutson. The Senior Day presentations will take place following the match.

GAME COVERAGE
Live stats will be available for the games. The stat link can be found on the Tarleton Volleyball schedule page at TarletonSports.com. There will be a free live video feed for each match.

NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
Tarleton moved up two spots to No. 11 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll. Tarleton is one of two Lone Star Conference schools in the top 25, joining Texas A&M-Commerce who is ranked 21st. Tarleton has been ranked in every poll since the final ranking of the 2016 season, which is 25 consecutive weeks in the national spotlight.

REGIONAL RANKINGS
The road to the NCAA Division II National Tournament is on track to run through Stephenville as Tarleton checks in at the top of the season’s first regional rankings. The TexAnns lead the poll with Texas A&M-Commerce, who have two head-to-head losses against Tarleton this season, coming in at No. 2. Colorado Mines (3), Angelo State (4), Dixie State (5), Regis (6), Colorado Mesa (7), and Metro State (8) round out the top eight. West Texas A&M and Lubbock Christian are on the outside looking in at No. 9 and 10, respectively. The top eight teams in the regional rankings at the end of conference tournament championship weekend will advance to the NCAA postseason. The conference tournament champions are guaranteed an automatic berth into the playoffs, which could affect the rankings if a non-regionally ranked team wins their respective tournament and earned the berth.

ABOUT TARLETON
Tarleton enters the weekend leading the way in the Lone Star Conference standings with a 24-2 record overall and a 16-0 mark in the league. Tarleton is also among the national leaders in blocks per set (2.92) which ranks second in the nation and also the conference leader in hit percentage (.251). Adriana Darthuy leads the team with 265 kills while Hannah McManus, a two-time LSC Defensive Player of the Week, ranks fifth in the nation with 1.41 blocks per set. Blanca Izquierdo, also a two-time LSC Setter of the Week, is leading the team with 539 assists and Adrianna Knutson leads in digs with 408.

DIGGING FOR A MILESTONE
Adrianna Knutson, Tarleton’s senior libero, is currently chasing down the all-time mark for digs at Tarleton State University. Knutson enters this weekend with 1,824 career digs and is 24 digs away from passing Shea McBrearty (1,847) for the all-time lead.

CRACKING THE TARLETON TOP 10
Hannah McManus is making her own history at Tarleton as the senior middle blocker enters the weekend having recently passed Kenya Alexander for fourth place on the all-time total blocks list with 366. She is also second all-time in assisted blocks with 305 having recently passed Kenya Alexander. McManus needs 30 assisted blocks to pass Marissa Galich (334) for first on the all-time list.

SERIES HISTORY: MSU TEXAS
Tarleton and MSU Texas, formerly known as Midwestern State, are meeting for the 61st time in program history since they first met in 1978. Tarleton holds the all-time series lead at 34-26 and has won nine straight matches and 15 of the last 16. Tarleton is 16-6 at home against the Mustangs.

SERIES HISTORY: CAMERON
Tarleton and Cameron are meeting for the 48th time in program history since the first match took place in 1978. Cameron leads the series, 25-22, but Tarleton has won the last 19 matches against the Aggies.

UP NEXT FOR TARLETON
Tarleton will head west to close out the regular season with road matches against Western New Mexico and UT Permian Basin on Nov. 2-3.

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