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ARLINGTON, TX\u00a0\u2013 The UT Arlington\u00a0volleyball\u00a0team opens the 2026 season Friday, Aug. 28, as they travel to Fayetteville, Arkansas, for the Razorback Invitational at the Barnhill Arena.
HANA AIANA, SR., MOLOKAI, HAWAII \u2013 JAX STATE<\/p>\n
SAMANTHA GLENN, SR., GRAPEVINE, TEXAS<\/p>\n
LILY HOPKINS, SR., TOMBALL, TEXAS \u2013 ALABAMA<\/p>\n
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CAMRYN MCMINN, SO., PELHAM, ALA.<\/p>\n
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ERICA DELLESKY, JR., KATY, TEXAS<\/p>\n
MAZI SMITH, SO., PAMPA, TEXAS \u2013 UNIVERSITY OF THE PACIFIC<\/p>\n
LUCY TRICCO, FR., AURORA, COLO.<\/p>\n
DIXIE NESSL, FR., SONORA, CALIF.<\/p>\n
–#BuckEm–<\/p>\n \u00a0
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\nThe Mavericks open the tournament against UTSA at 4 p.m. CT Friday before facing SIUE at 11 a.m. on Saturday. UTA closes the weekend against host Arkansas at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
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\nUTA’s matchup against Arkansas will be streamed on SEC Network+, while live stats will be available for all three matches.
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\nLIVE COVERAGE
\nUTA\u00a0vs\u00a0UTSA (Friday\u00a04 p.m. CT)
\nBarnhill Arena, Fayetteville, Ark.
\nLive Stats<\/a>
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\nUTA\u00a0vs\u00a0SIUE (Saturday\u00a011 a.m. CT)
\nBarnhill Arena, Fayetteville, Ark.
\nLive Stats<\/a>
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\nUTA\u00a0vs\u00a0Arkansas (Saturday\u00a07 p.m. CT)
\nBarnhill Arena, Fayetteville, Ark.
\nLive Stats<\/a>
\nSECN+<\/a>
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\nOVERVIEW ON LAST SEASON
\nThe Mavericks finished the 2025 season with an 11-14 overall record and a 3-9 mark in WAC play. The 2025 season marked the first season under head coach Tania Schatow as UTA continued to build on the program’s tradition of success.
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\nThroughout the season, the Mavericks established themselves as one of the WAC’s strongest serving and defensive teams, leading the conference in service aces and aces per set at multiple points during the season.
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\nMAVERICK SENIORITY
\nUTA welcome 10 newcomers to the roster this season with senior Evyn Snook<\/a> and junior Erica Dellesky<\/a> serving as team captains. Lily Hopkins<\/a>, Karisa Martin<\/a>, Camryn McMinn<\/a> and Lucy Tricco<\/a> comprise the 2026 VB Leadership Committee.
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\nThe Mavericks’ senior class of Snook, Hopkins, Hana Aiana<\/a> and Samantha Glenn<\/a> provides experience and leadership heading into the 2026 campaign.
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\nEVYN SNOOK, SR., MAGNOLIA, TEXAS<\/p>\n
\n\tSnook, the four-year vet, finished last season with 179 kills, 27 service aces and 565 total attempts.
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\n\tIn her first year with the Mavericks after transferring in from Jax State, Aiana totaled 54 kills with a .265 hitting percentage and contributed defensively with 20 digs and 33 total blocks, averaging 2.11 points per set.
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\n\tAnother four-year vet in Glenn, led the team with 437 digs, averaging 4.12 digs per set while also recording 29 service aces–4x WAC Libero of the Week.
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\n\tAfter spending three years at Alabama, Hopkins came closer to home to join UTA’s well-known bioengineering master’s program.
\n\tThe Tomball, Texas native who played in 51 collegiate matches across three seasons, including a career best vs. Wake Forest (2025) and six kills vs. Ole Miss (2024)
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\nRETURNERS TO WATCH
\nSOPHIA KRICHEV, SO., HUNTSVILLE, ALA.<\/p>\n
\n\tKrichev played in 92 sets and appeared in 25 matches, recording 161 kills and 68 total blocks.
\n\tShe averaged 1.75 kills and 2.23 points per set while contributing 15 digs and 21 service aces.
\n\tSelected to 2025 All-WAC Freshman Team
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\n\tMcMinn started 15 matches and played in 76 sets, totaling 194 kills and 81 digs.
\n\tShe averaged 2.55 kills and 2.72 points per set while adding 20 total blocks and 13 service aces, ranking among the team’s top offensive contributors in her collegiate debut season.
\n\tSelected to 2025 All-WAC Freshman Team
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\nNEWCOMERS TO WATCH
\nKARISA MARTIN, JR., MONROE, WASH.<\/p>\n
\n\tMartin comes to UTA as a juco product from Bellevue College where she was a 4x NWAC North Region Offensive player of the week and 2x NWAC First Team selection.
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\n\tDellesky joins UTA after an impressive start to her collegiate career at Virginia Tech. In 52 matches and 167 sets played, Dellesky has totaled 629 assists and 214 digs.
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\n\tSmith played 84 sets in 27 matches at Pacific.
\n\tShe totaled 177.5 points with 163 kills (1.94 per set) and five assists, recorded 41 digs and 27 blocks, tallied a season-high in kills (15) and digs (10) against Santa Clara (Nov. 8).
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\n\tTricco joins UTA after a standout career at Regis Jesuit High School and Front Range Volleyball Club. Tricco was named to the All-Aurora Team and earned second-team all-conference and first-team all-academic all-conference honors.
\n\tA six-rotation player for one of Colorado’s top-ranked club teams, she helped Front Range to a national bid three consecutive years and in her high school career, she has totaled more than 1,000 career assists.
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\n\tNessl comes to UTA following an impressive career at Sonora High School and Rage Volleyball Club. A four-time honor roll student, Nessl earned TVL First-Team All-League and Mother Lode Academic All-League.
\n\tShe was also an Academic Block “S” award recipient, an honor given to students with a cumulative GPA of 3.7 or higher, ranked first in the state for hitting percentage among middle blockers (.436), while finishing second overall in the SAC-Joaquin Division 4.
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\nFOLLOW THE MAVS
\nFor the latest news on\u00a0UTA\u00a0Volleyball, log on to\u00a0UTAMavs.com\u00a0or stay connected to the Mavs on social media. Follow the Mavericks on X (formally known as Twitter)\u00a0@UTAMavsVB, on Instagram\u00a0@UTAMavsVB\u00a0and on Facebook at Facebook.com\/UTAMavsVB.
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