- UTA Volleyball sets season against Dallas Baptist UniversityThe volleyball team kicks off its 2024 campaign in an exhibition match against Dallas Baptist University 6 p.m. Friday at the College Park Center. The Mavericks are heading into the season with hopes of building on last years promising season. In 2023, UTA went 21-11 overall and 9-7 in Western Athletic Conference play. After earning the No. 4 seed in the WAC tournament the Mavericks lost in the quarterfinal, ending their season. The Mavericks begin the season with veteran leadership from the top down. Head coach J.T. Wenger is entering his eighth year with the program and high expectations set for this year’s team. Along with Wenger’s steady leadership, the Mavericks have five graduate students returning, including outside hitter Brianna Ford. Who Wenger refer to as the “2020 freshmen,” said he expects them to be great on the court and tremendous leaders. DBU will provide a strong pre-season matchup for UTA, coming off an impressive 24-8 record with a staggering 14-2 conference record. Although DBU is Division II they’ve established a winning culture with a .72 winning percentage over the last three seasons. This exhibition match is free for everyone and will include a schedule poster giveaway for attendees. UTA students receive complimentary admission to all athletics inside the CPC with their active Mav ID and can bring and one friend per game. Season tickets for general admission are available here. @babyboimatt sports-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu
- Rangers avoid sweep against Minnesota Twins with walk-off winAfter dropping three straight games, the Texas Rangers (57-68) rallied for a 6-5 win in extra innings Sunday, avoiding a series sweep against the Minnesota Twins (70-54) in front of their home fans. “This was a big one. Last thing you want to do is get swept four games at home,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said. ”Hard fought game and I can't say enough about the guys, how they battled to come back.” Minnesota started hot in the first inning, with catcher Ryan Jeffers hitting a two-run home run over the left field wall, helping the team jump to a quick 3-0 lead. The Rangers looked poised to respond in the bottom half of the inning before a pop up out stranded the loaded bases. “You're looking at getting swept, you're down four runs in the first six innings, we created some pretty good opportunities that we couldn't quite cash in,” Bochy said. The Twins added another run to their lead in the top of the third inning with an RBI single from Jeffers who ended the game with three runs batted in. After three innings, the Rangers turned to the bullpen as starting pitcher Tyler Mahle exited the game after giving up six hits and four earned runs. Bochy mentioned Mahle could have pitched longer, but the team felt it was the right decision taking him out. Mahle, who returned this season after previously having Tommy John surgery in 2023, said he was able to locate his pitches but his velocity was down, making it hard to throw past guys. “I kind of felt like everything was moving a little slower when I started playing catch before throwing the bullpen,” Mahle said. “Obviously, you expect it to ramp up while you're in the pen, and then once you see hitters, you know, in there, [you] expect everything to speed up, and it just didn't.” Mahle was relieved by right-handed pitcher Gerson Garabito, who threw four hitless innings out of the bullpen for Texas. Bochy credited Garabito’s performance as giving the team a chance to come back. On the opposing side, Twins starter Pablo López had a longer outing, keeping the Rangers scoreless through six innings before being relieved from the seventh. “If you're not scoring and you're leaving runners out there, you do look a little flat and that's the way it looked the first six innings,” Bochy said. “It's all about going hard for nine [innings]. In this game, a little bit longer.” The Rangers’ offense came alive in the seventh inning, collecting five runs. Three straight hits drove in a pair of runs, while prior home runs from right fielder Adolis García and designated hitter Josh Jung gave the team a 5-4 lead. In the top of the ninth inning, pitcher Kirby Yates took the mound for Texas, looking to secure the win. However, a home run from Carlos Santana spoiled those plans, tying the game at five. This marked Yates' first blown save of the season, snapping his streak of 21 saves as a Ranger, per Rangers Comms. In the top of the tenth, pitcher Andrew Chafin pitched a scoreless inning and was credited the victory. The game ended when Jung hit a single to third base, as García scored on a throwing error from Twins third baseman Jose Miranda. Sitting in third place in the American League West division, the Rangers will be back in action 7:05 p.m. Monday night against the Pittsburgh Pirates for a three-game series. “We need to win every game right now and maybe today was the start,” Mahle said. @jwheels_1 sports-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu
- UTA Volleyball sets season against Dallas Baptist UniversityThe volleyball team kicks off its 2024 campaign in an exhibition match against Dallas Baptist University 6 p.m. Friday at the College Park Center. The Mavericks are heading into the season with hopes of building on last years promising season. In 2023, UTA went 21-11 overall and 9-7 in Western Athletic Conference play. After earning the No. 4 seed in the WAC tournament the Mavericks lost in the quarterfinal, ending their season. The Mavericks begin the season with veteran leadership from the top down. Head coach J.T. Wenger is entering his eighth year with the program and high expectations set for this year’s team. Along with Wenger’s steady leadership, the Mavericks have five graduate students returning, including outside hitter Brianna Ford. Who Wenger refer to as the “2020 freshmen,” said he expects them to be great on the court and tremendous leaders. DBU will provide a strong pre-season matchup for UTA, coming off an impressive 24-8 record with a staggering 14-2 conference record. Although DBU is Division II they’ve established a winning culture with a .72 winning percentage over the last three seasons. This exhibition match is free for everyone and will include a schedule poster giveaway for attendees. UTA students receive complimentary admission to all athletics inside the CPC with their active Mav ID and can bring and one friend per game. Season tickets for general admission are available here. @babyboimatt sports-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu
- Rangers avoid sweep against Minnesota Twins with walk-off winAfter dropping three straight games, the Texas Rangers (57-68) rallied for a 6-5 win in extra innings Sunday, avoiding a series sweep against the Minnesota Twins (70-54) in front of their home fans. “This was a big one. Last thing you want to do is get swept four games at home,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said. ”Hard fought game and I can't say enough about the guys, how they battled to come back.” Minnesota started hot in the first inning, with catcher Ryan Jeffers hitting a two-run home run over the left field wall, helping the team jump to a quick 3-0 lead. The Rangers looked poised to respond in the bottom half of the inning before a pop up out stranded the loaded bases. “You're looking at getting swept, you're down four runs in the first six innings, we created some pretty good opportunities that we couldn't quite cash in,” Bochy said. The Twins added another run to their lead in the top of the third inning with an RBI single from Jeffers who ended the game with three runs batted in. After three innings, the Rangers turned to the bullpen as starting pitcher Tyler Mahle exited the game after giving up six hits and four earned runs. Bochy mentioned Mahle could have pitched longer, but the team felt it was the right decision taking him out. Mahle, who returned this season after previously having Tommy John surgery in 2023, said he was able to locate his pitches but his velocity was down, making it hard to throw past guys. “I kind of felt like everything was moving a little slower when I started playing catch before throwing the bullpen,” Mahle said. “Obviously, you expect it to ramp up while you're in the pen, and then once you see hitters, you know, in there, [you] expect everything to speed up, and it just didn't.” Mahle was relieved by right-handed pitcher Gerson Garabito, who threw four hitless innings out of the bullpen for Texas. Bochy credited Garabito’s performance as giving the team a chance to come back. On the opposing side, Twins starter Pablo López had a longer outing, keeping the Rangers scoreless through six innings before being relieved from the seventh. “If you're not scoring and you're leaving runners out there, you do look a little flat and that's the way it looked the first six innings,” Bochy said. “It's all about going hard for nine [innings]. In this game, a little bit longer.” The Rangers’ offense came alive in the seventh inning, collecting five runs. Three straight hits drove in a pair of runs, while prior home runs from right fielder Adolis García and designated hitter Josh Jung gave the team a 5-4 lead. In the top of the ninth inning, pitcher Kirby Yates took the mound for Texas, looking to secure the win. However, a home run from Carlos Santana spoiled those plans, tying the game at five. This marked Yates' first blown save of the season, snapping his streak of 21 saves as a Ranger, per Rangers Comms. In the top of the tenth, pitcher Andrew Chafin pitched a scoreless inning and was credited the victory. The game ended when Jung hit a single to third base, as García scored on a throwing error from Twins third baseman Jose Miranda. Sitting in third place in the American League West division, the Rangers will be back in action 7:05 p.m. Monday night against the Pittsburgh Pirates for a three-game series. “We need to win every game right now and maybe today was the start,” Mahle said. @jwheels_1 sports-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu
- Connecticut Sun blind Dallas Wings with 18-point winThe Dallas Wings (6-20) entered Friday’s matchup with a positive outlook for the second half of the season starting against the Connecticut Sun (19-6). Although the Wings started strong, they ultimately fell short, 109-91. Despite the loss, head coach Latricia Trammell expressed gratitude for the positives, despite the defeat. The team faces the toughest opponents of the schedule, according to Tankathon, with stiff competition remaining. The Wings encountered difficulties early in the season, like injuries, contributing to a series of losses. On Wednesday, the team announced key players guard-forward Jaelyn Brown and forwards Satou Sabally and Maddy Siegrist were set to return. The team used their mandatory break as a second training camp, Trammell said. Players spent time bonding, sharpening their skills and being with family. Having key players return allows them to do more offensively and defensively, she said. “The new approach, we call it a new beginning, where it's time to write the story that we want to write,” she said. Per league policy, the Wings terminated forward Monique Billings and guard Odyssey Sims, who previously signed hardship contracts. Both players are free to sign with any team in the league other than Dallas, which is subject to a 10-day wait policy before attempting to re-sign a player released from hardship. Sabally made her season debut after a shoulder injury sidelined her last season, posting 20 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in her return. Looking ahead, she said the team plans to take it game-by-game while raising their own standards. “I think we need to find our identity and play to that because we're so talented and so good that we can win all the next games that are ahead of us,” Sabally said. Forward Natasha Howard posted her third double-double of the season with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Even in defeat, the chemistry remains and the team will focus on keeping the pieces intact, she said. Despite an 18-point loss, the Wings outrebounded the Sun, 36-26, posted double-digit steals for the sixth time this season and marked the second straight game with nine made 3-pointers Friday, Trammell said. Finding rhythm with returning players is going to be crucial, she added. “I know we'll get back and grind, and we'll continue to feel more comfortable with one another,” Trammell said. Bouncing back isn’t tough, Sabally said. Everybody on the team is a professional who’s been drilled to adjust, and it’s time to be better against New York, she said. “I think we need to shy away from talking back to the [referees] and getting so emotional,” Sabally said. “It's a top two team we're talking about here, so we just have to get up to that level.” The Wings will be back in action 6 p.m. Tuesday when they hit the road for a two-game series against the New York Liberty. @heyyyitslando sports-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu
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