BritKare Lady Buff Classic
Date	Friday, September 5th - Saturday, September 6th
Location	Canyon, Texas | WTAMU Fieldhouse "The Box"
Live Statistics	CSUP | WCU | CSUP | OBU
Live Video	FloCollege (Pay-Per-View)
Additional Links	Game Notes | Tournament Central

CANYON, Texas – The #8 Lady Buffs open the 2025 campaign on September 5-6 as they host the BritKare Lady Buff Classic with matchups against CSU Pueblo, Western Colorado and Oklahoma Baptist at the WTAMU Fieldhouse "The Box" in Canyon.
 
CSU PUEBLO
The ThunderWolves finished the 2024 campaign with an overall record of 16-11 with a 9-5 mark in RMAC action. CSU Pueblo welcomes home alumnus Jordan Bruere to lead the volleyball program in March, Bruere spent the previous two seasons as the head coach at Western Colorado.
 
Junior defensive specialist Chinaru Inoue was named to the Preseason All-RMAC team as the Tenri, Japan product joined the ThunderWolves this preseason from RMAC rival Western Colorado. CSU Pueblo enters the season fifth in the RMAC Coaches Poll.
 
WESTERN COLORADO
Sonia Morales-Jones enters her first season as the head coach of the Mountaineers in 2025. Morales-Jones spent nine seasons as the head women's volleyball coach at Benedictine University where she compiled a 166-88 record with teams that made three NAIA national tournaments. The Mountaineers went 12-16 during the 2024 campaign with a 7-7 mark during Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play.
 
Outside hitter Olive Rolseth returns for her junior campaign following 235 kills and 122 digs for the Mountaineers. The Dayton, Minnesota product saw time in 98 sets during 28 matches last season. WCU was voted 12th in the RMAC Preseason Poll.
 
OKLAHOMA BAPTIST
The Bison finished the 2024 campaign with an overall record of 16-13 as they went 10-6 during Great American Conference action. Anna Howle is now in her 18th season leading the Oklahoma Baptist volleyball program as she has registered 412 victories with seven conference titles and 13 All-American honorees. OBU was picked third in the GAC Preseason Coaches Poll.
 
Junior outside hitter Rylee Unruh registered 280 kills on 959 swings to average 2.52 kills per set with a .193 attack percentage last season. The Lawrence, Kansas product also dished out 35 assists with 363 digs and 32 blocks in her first season at OBU, Unruh started her collegiate career at Washburn.
 
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 554-85 at The Box since the 1980 season for an incredible winning percentage of 86.7%.
 
LONE STAR CONFERENCE PRESEASON POLL
Angelo State claimed 30 of the possible 54 first place votes for 933 points to sit atop of the poll followed by West Texas A&M (18 first place, 919), UT Tyler (three first place, 859), DBU (two first place, 803), Texas Woman's (738), St. Mary's (633), Oklahoma Christian (616) Lubbock Christian (602), UT Permian Basin (542) and Texas A&M-Kingsville (499) to round out the top ten. Midwestern State was tabbed 11th (436) followed by Texas A&M International (one first place, 371), St. Edward's (319), UT Dallas (272), Western New Mexico (265), Eastern New Mexico (204), Cameron (116) and Sul Ross State (107).
 
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 1,102-349 (.759) as he was just the third head coach in NJCAA history to reach 1,000 career wins on October 15, 2024.
 
Gamble comes 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.
 
OPENING THE SEASON
2024 marks the 29th straight season that the BritKare Lady Buff Classic will take place on opening weekend, WT is 37-4 when opening the season at the event. 
 
LADY BUFFS IN THE AVCA POLL
The Lady Buffs are ranked eighth in the preseason edition of the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division II Top-25 Poll. It marks the 317th 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.
 
NEW LOOK LSC
The LSC opens its 43rd season of volleyball with a new member among the 18 teams – UT Dallas – with schedules opening the September 4-6 weekend. The Lone Star Conference Tournament is slated November 20-22 hosted by the No. 1 seeded team. NCAA Division II Championship play begins with regionals December 4-6 and the final rounds December 11-13 in Sioux Falls, S.D.