CANYON, Texas –The 2023 season-opener is finally upon the Adams State University Grizzlies as the Julie Allen-era will begin at the Britkare Lady Buff Classic. The Grizzlies will play four games, including games against St. Mary's (Texas), #1, and reigning National Champion West Texas A&M University on Friday at 1:00 p.m. (MT) and 6:00 p.m. (MT), respectively. They will play Davenport (10:30 a.m. MT) and East Central University (3:30 p.m. MT) on Saturday.
A live stream and stats will be provided for the entire 2023 BritKare Lady Buff Classic by the WT Athletic Communications department. All matches for the tournament will be aired on the Lone Star Conference Digital Network. Fans can purchase a $15 daily pass that will give them access to all contests on the network that day and access to previously aired games from the current season for 24 hours.
The Grizzlies have a high outlook on the season as they bring a core group of returners, including defensive specialist and redshirt senior
Ailee Bugas, redshirt junior outside hitter
Anna Huggins, redshirt junior middle blocker
Natalie Gallegos, and redshirt junior outside hitter
Cindy Garcia.
Reinforcements arrived in the form of eight transfers and two freshmen.
Against St. Mary's, the Grizzlies are 3-1 all-time against the Rattlers, and this will be the third-straight meeting between the teams in Canyon.
SMU 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.
The Lady Buffs are coming off another historic season as they finished 33-4 with the program's fourth National Championship and 15th appearance in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight. Their 17th Lone Star Conference Tournament Title earned them the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament for the 28th time in school history. The Lady Buffs earned the No. 2 seed for the regional tournament, where they battled and won their 15th South Central Regional title to advance to the Elite Eight. The Lady Buffs continue into the 2023 season with a 26-game winning streak.
The Panthers finished 22-9 and 13-5 in the conference. They are led by fourth-year head coach Brian Netzler, who guided DU to a third straight GLIAC tournament appearance. Davenport finished third in their conference last season and was led by graduate student outside hitter Lindsay Tayor. The Miami (Ohio) transfer made an immediate impact last season with 3.66 points per set and 428 points for the Panthers.
East Central has a new coach at the helm, inheriting a program that tied their record for most wins in a single season (15). It made its third straight trip to the Great American Conference Championship tournament, claiming the No. 5 seed last season.
Emma Strickland, a key offensive weapon for the Tigers since her freshman season, returns as the lone 2022 All-GAC recipient. Strickland earned First Team honors from her performance as a sophomore, placing second in the league in kills and points per set. She also became the new record holder at ECU for kills in a single season with 465 and kills in a match with 29.
