By: Andrew Pratt

It is always impressive to go undefeated during the opening weekend of any sport, especially when that opening has more than one game. Volleyball is one of the few sports that have accomplished this.

The Southwestern University Volleyball team has started off the year on the right foot. The women are currently 8-1 on the season, including an undefeated opening weekend that consisted of a five-game home stretch.

The sole loss of the season came in the sixth game, where East Texas Baptist University just narrowly edged the Pirates in Sherman, TX.

The Pirates have since continued their winning ways by defeating LeTourneau and Howard Payne Universities back to back this past Saturday.

Pretty handedly. That is probably the best way to describe how the team has defeated each team so far this season.

There have only been two instances of Pirates going past three sets. One of them was to the University of Dallas in the second game of the season. The second was during the loss to East Texas. Both games went to the five set.

Prior to this season, the Volleyball team was predicted to come in second in conference play this season. Colorado College was selected as the team to beat this season, with defending conference champions Trinity University not far behind. Both Trinity and Southwestern received first place points.

Since the beginning of their opening weekend and continued success, the Pirates have garnered national attention. The team is currently ranked 23 in the country. This is the second week in a row that the Pirates have made the top 25. They are currently the top ranked team in the state of Texas.

Conference rival Colorado College has not flown under the women’s radars though. The team currently sits at 11 in the nation with a perfect 9-0 record. While they seem to be the team to beat, the Pirates do not seem very worried.

“We definitely think they are going to be our hardest team we face all season long,” Junior Defensive Specialist Andie Alford said. “They are really good. We are just going to have to work hard in practice to prepare.”

Luckily for Southwestern the two teams will not face off any time soon. The first time the two schools will ever compete against each other this season is Sunday September 27 in San Antonio, TX.

This year, Southwestern University was selected to host the conference tournament. It will be held on Friday, November 6 and Saturday, November 7 in the Corbin J. Robertson Gymnasium.

“I think it is really cool to have the tournament here at Southwestern,” Alford said. “Having that slight advantage and being able to play at home could really help us out as we try to push for that conference title.”

The Pirates continue their road stretch today against rival Trinity University in Seguin, TX. Saturday features the Pirates taking on Texas Lutheran and Schreiner University. Both games are in Seguin, as well. The ladies return home on October 6 when they host the Lady Crusaders of Mary Hardin Baylor University.