Britkare Lady Buff Classic • Canyon • "The Box"
Friday, September 1
St. Mary's (0-0) vs. Davenport (0-0) • 9 a.m.
St. Mary's vs. Adams State (0-0) • 2 p.m.
Saturday, September 2
St. Mary's vs. East Central (0-0) • 9 a.m
St. Mary's at #1 West Texas A&M (0-0) • 2 p.m.
Starting Things Off: St. Mary's heads to the Britkare Lady Buff Classic to begin the 2023 season. It is the second-straight year and the fourth time since 2017 the Rattlers have started a season in Canyon. This year, the team faces Davenport, Adams State, East Central and defending National Champion West Texas A&M.
Series History: Friday marks the first-ever meeting between StMU and Davenport, though STUNT Head Coach Jordan VanTimmeren competed for the Panthers. The Rattlers are 1-3 all-time against Adams State and this will be the third-straight meeting between the teams in Canyon. StMU enjoys a 2-1 lead in the series against East Central and have won the last two matches. The teams last met in 2018 in San Angelo a straight-sets victory for the Gold & Blue. The tournament concludes against preseason favorite West Texas A&M. The Rattlers are 2-23 all-time against the Lady Buffs and are looking to snap a 16-match losing skid dating back to 2005.
Picked Sixth: Entering the fifth year of competition in the Lone Star Conference, the St. Mary's Volleyball team earned its highest-ever preseason ranking, getting selected sixth in the 17-team league. The Rattlers received 494 points, edging out Texas A&M International by one point. Defending national champion West Texas A&M is an overwhelming favorite, garnering 762 points and 42 of the 45 first-place votes. UT Tyler, Texas A&M-Kingsville, DBU and Angelo State round out the top five.
Welcome to the Team: The Rattlers added five newcomers to the team in 2023, four first-year players and one junior college transfer. Haleigh Wilk (S), Olivia Rubio (MB), Madi Milligan (MB), Kelly Swyers (OH) and Landry Cate (MB) join the 14 returners.
Balanced Attack: Seven different Rattlers recorded at least 100 kills in 2022 and six of those seven players return for 2023. Landri Withers led the team with 291 kills a season ago, which is the fourth-highest kills total in school history by a freshman. Also returning are Brianna Morris-Worth (162), Lindsey Ogle (154), Dallasstar Johnson (143), Laurene Robinson (119) and Alicia Virthe (114).
Keep Your Eye On: Sophomores Landri Withers and Dallasstar Johnson are the offensive and defensive representatives, respectively, while junior Cali Nims was chosen at setter to the Lone Star Conference Players to Watch list.
Setting the Table: Junior setter Cali Nims is 20 assists shy of 1,000 for her career and 144 assists away from moving into the top 10 in St. Mary's history. Nims currently ranks 12th, while Shelly Wilson (2003-04) is 10th with 1,123 assists and Ginger Grimes (1996) is 11th with 1,083. Nims also enters her third season ranked fifth in school history in serve percentage (.965) and sixth in aces per set (0.314).Â
