V-Ballers seek win for tourney berth

SAGU plays final home matches Fri, Sat

Seniors Brown, Cisneros, Espinoza to be honored

WAXAHACHIE, Texas -- The value of playing at home will be put to the test this weekend when the Southwestern Assemblies of God University volleyball team, still seeking to qualify for the RRAC tournament, play host to a pair of special matches on Friday and Saturday.

Coach Hansford Moore and the Lady Lions have annually made the Red River Athletic Conference tournament since their first year as members in 2004. Should they earn another berth, it will mark their 8th consecutive season to finish high enough to garner a bid.

The Lady Lions are 16-12 overall and 4-4 in conference action. The top six teams enter the tourney, with UT-Brownsville (24-2, 9-0 RRAC), Wiley College (18-7, 8-1 RRAC) and Our Lady of the Lake University (9-17, 7-2 RRAC), easily qualifying. From there it gets interesting.

Tied for fourth with SAGU is the University of St. Thomas (17-15, 4-4 RRAC), whom Southwestern has already beaten, 3-1, in Houston. They play again on Saturday, but it is not a conference match. Behind both teams are Texas Wesleyan University (13-16, 3-4 RRAC) and the University of the Southwest (4-21, 3-4 RRAC). One of the four will see their hopes dashed this weekend.

Click here to see the details of who needs what to qualify.

SAGU will meet St. Thomas tonight at 6:00pm in the Sheaffer Center. This match has no bearing on the playoff race, though it will be a tune-up for both squads. The 'Cats own a 7-3 edge in the series with the Celts (pronounced Kelts), and are 5-0 at home against them going back to 2007. 

During the best-of-five event, which will be broadcast in high definition on SAGU Sports Live, announcer Clay Scarborough and Tim Roberts will keep fans updated on a simultaneous match-up in Fort Worth.

University of the Southwest takes on the Wesleyan Women at 7:00pm in the Sid Richardson Center. A win by the Lady Rams will help bring clarity to the race. To see who benefits by the outcome, click the above link.

Saturday, November 5, will be Senior Day for SAGU when they face Southwest at 1:00pm in the Sheaffer Center. Coach Moore will honor the team’s seniors prior to the competition, which will also be broadcast on SSL. Six of the team's nine home matches this fall will be broadcast by the end of Saturday's matinee.

The Lady Lions have three players who will be making their final college appearance at home. Defensive Specialist Tina Brown (New Braunfels, Tx / Lifegate Christian), Middle Blocker Krystal Cisneros (El Paso, Tx / Del Valle HS) and Libero Laura Espinoza (Duncanville, Tx / Duncanville HS) will conclude their careers on Saturday. Brown and Espinoza are team captains.

Current Red River Athletic Conference Standings

Texas at Brownsville   9-0  (24-2)
Wiley College   8-1  (18-7)
Our Lady of the Lake   7-2  (9-17)
SW Assemblies of God   4-4  (16-12)
St. Thomas - Houston   4-4  (17-15)
Texas Wesleyan   3-4  (13-16)
Univ of the Southwest   3-4  (4-21)
Bacone College   2-6  (8-19)
Texas College   0-7  (3-19)
Huston-Tillotson   0-8  (1-29)

Contact: Mark "Link" Warde, Sports Information Director, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or at 469-658-2847.