Austin, Texas – The Concordia University Texas volleyball team will begin its six-game home slate when it hosts Hardin-Simmons on Saturday, Sept. 17 at 3 p.m. Forever Video Productions is slated to provide a free webcast of the game with Sports Information Director Matthew Chmura calling all of the action.

Concordia (4-3, ASC 0-1), which was picked to finish fifth in the American Southwest Conference West Division, was off to its best six-game start under seventh-year head coach April Birdsong before dropping a heartbreaker in five sets at Texas Lutheran on Tuesday evening. The Tornados took two of the first three sets and had an 8-5 lead in the fifth and deciding set while attempting to earn their first-ever ASC victory over the Bulldogs, but Texas Lutheran was able to score the final five points of the match to complete a rally. Concordia, which won the AVCA Team Academic Award after posting a 3.55 team GPA during the 2010-11 academic year, has been led by senior captains Kalynn White and Kevyn Jackson. White, who was named the ASC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, has been solid on both sides of the ball for the Tornados. She leads the squad with 68 kills and has also accumulated 67 digs and eight blocks. White, a two-time All-ASC West Division Second Team honoree, was also Concordia's lone representative on the all-tournament team at the Bulldog Classic last weekend. After playing as an outside hitter for three seasons, Jackson has successfully made the major transition to the libero position in 2011. She leads the squad with 130 digs, which included recording a career-best 42 against Linfield last weekend ... Concordia has used a 6-2 attack all season with Bianca Martinez and Samantha Ladewig as the team's two setters. They have 122 and 100 assists, respectively, while Ladewig also leads the squad with 14 service aces. Shelbi Chipman, a sophomore transfer who previously played at Angelo State, has been the team's top newcomer and averages 2.42 kills per set. Concordia is looking to record its first winning season since 2000.

Hardin-Simmons (6-2, ASC 1-0), which was picked to win the ASC West after capturing the league's tournament title and making an appearance in the NCAA Tournament last year, is coming off a convincing 3-0 victory (25-9, 25-16, 25-16) over Sul Ross State on Friday night night in Alpine. The Cowgirls, who have only lost to opponents who are currently nationally ranked, are a young squad with three upperclassmen on their 15-player roster and are being paced by returning All-ASC West Division First Team selections Madison Reyes and Christine Sas. Reyes, a junior outside hitter who has been named the ASC West Division Offensive Player of the Year, has a team-best 101 kills and is hitting at a .266 clip. She is also among the team leaders in digs (60) and blocks (12). Sas has 69 kills and a team-leading 17 service aces. Like Concordia, the squad employs a 6-2 attack which includes freshman Molli Owen and the team's only senior in Kaitlin Mitchell. The setters have registered 119 and 105 assists, respectively.

Game Information (Saturday, Sept. 17)
2:50 p.m. Pregame
3:00 p.m. Concordia vs. Hardin-Simmons

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