West Texas A&M (5-0) at the Colorado Premier Challenge
Date	Friday, September 12th
Location	Denver, Colorado | Auraria Event Center
Opponents	#21 Bentley (11:00 a.m. CT) | #15 Point Loma (7:00 p.m. CT)
Live Statistics	Link
Live Video	RMAC Network (Pay-Per-View)
Additional Links	Game Notes | Tournament Central

CANYON, Texas – The #5 Lady Buffs open the 2025 Colorado Premier Challenge on Friday as they take on #21 Bentley and #15 Point Loma inside of the Auraria Event Center on the campus of Metropolitan State University Denver.
 
BENTLEY
The Falcons enter the weekend 3-1 overall as they participated at the St. Michael's Windjammer Classic last week in Vermont, Bentley claimed wins over East Stroudsburg, Franklin Pierce and Saint Michael's while dropping a straight-set match to Nebraska-Kearney. BU went 26-7 last season with a run to the NCAA Division II Final Four.
 
Joey Pacis is now in his 12th season at the helm of the Bentley volleyball program, holing an overall record of 193-107 during his time in Boston. He has led the Falcons to five straight NCAA Tournaments including back-to-back East Regional Championships.
 
Lulu Pavan leads the way offensively for the Falcons as the freshman from Rochester, New York has registered 50 kills (3.85/set) with an attack percentage of .248 to go along with seven aces, 14 digs and four blocks. Elizabeth Blinn, a senior middle from Concord, New Hampshire, was named the Northeast 10 Defensive Player of the Week totaling 21 blocks including a 10-block performance against Nebraska-Kearney.
 
POINT LOMA
Point Loma enters the Premier with an overall record of 2-1 as they took part in the San Diego Invite last weekend. The Sea Lions started the season with wins over Emporia State and Northwest Nazarene before falling to Cal State San Bernardino in a five-set thriller on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Sea Lions are led by 12th year head coach Jonathan Scott who holds an overall record of 183-108. Scott has led Point Loma to three NCAA Tournament appearances (2015, 2023, 2024) including a PacWest Conference Championship in 2023.
 
Abigail Nua, the reigning PacWest Offensive Player of the Year, has registered a team-best 64 kills on 146 swings to hit .267 so far this season as the senior from Lakewood, Colorado averages 6.08 points per set for the Sea Lions. Nua became the program's first AVCA First Team All-American in 2024. The Sea Lions also return All-American setter Sophia Baugh as well as AVCA West Region Freshman of the Year Saren Rogers.
 
LOOKING AHEAD AT THE PREMIER
The Lady Buffs make the 200-mile drive from Gunnison to Denver following Wednesday night's match as WT is ready to compete in the Colorado Premier Challenge. The 12-team event features eight teams ranked inside of the AVCA Top-25 Poll.
 
WT will face off with #21 Bentley and #15 Point Loma on Friday with bracket play starting on Saturday. WT looks to defend their crown as the 2024 Lady Buffs went a perfect 4-0 against ranked teams on the way to the program's fourth Premier title (1999, 2001, 2012, 2024). WT is making their 18th trip to the Colorado Premier as they are 39-29 all-time at the event with 20 all-tournament selections.
 
WELCOME TO THE BOX
West Texas A&M is fortunate to have one of the best home environments in all of NCAA Volleyball. The WTAMU Fieldhouse is more affectionately known as "The Box," is home to 22 Lone Star Conference Championships, 16 Regional Titles and four NCAA Division II National Championships. 
 
The Box boasts one of the best home winning records in the NCAA on any level of competition. The Lady Buffs are 558-85 at The Box since the 1980 season for an incredible winning percentage of 86.7%.
 
LSC PRESEASON DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Senior middle blocker Taytum Stow was named the 2025 Lone Star Conference Preseason Defensive Player of the Year announced on Monday, August 25th. The Hereford product ed the league with 138 blocks (1.27 per set) on her way to a second LSC Defensive Player of the Year Award (also 2022). Stow was also third in the LSC with a .364 hitting percentage and earned honorable mention All-American status.
 
THE GAMBLE ERA BEGINS
Three-time National Champion and NJCAA Hall of Famer Terry Gamble was named the 17th head coach in Lady Buff Volleyball history on February 4, 2025. Gamble has compiled a record of 1,107-349 (.759) as he was just the third head coach in NJCAA history to reach 1,000 career wins on October 15, 2024.
 
Gamble came to Canyon following seven seasons at Blinn College in Brenham, Texas. Gamble was named the Regional Coach of the Year for the third time, leading Blinn College to their fifth straight NJCAA National Tournament. He was inducted into the NJCAA Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2007 after winning three NJCAA volleyball championships (2000, 2004, 2006) and three NJCAA Coach of the Year awards.
 
LADY BUFFS IN THE AVCA POLL
The Lady Buffs are ranked fifth in the newest edition of the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division II Top-25 Poll announced on Monday afternoon. It marks the 318th time since 1986 that the Lady Buffs appear in the poll, the sixth most in Division II history. WT has sat atop of the poll 28 different times including twice during the 2023 campaign.