Volleyball | 8/12/2026 12:26:00 PM

DENTON, Texas (Aug. 12, 2026) – With the first serve of the 2026 season 15 days away, Texas Woman's volleyball announced their 2026 schedule.

Under the new direction of Head Coach Phil Evans, the Pioneers are excited to compete and continue to elevate the success of the program.

"I'm excited to get this season underway and see our team compete against an outstanding schedule," Evans said. "Traveling to Alaska will be a unique experience for our student-athletes and a great opportunity to test ourselves against strong competition. I'm also looking forward to my first season in the Lone Star Conference. I have tremendous respect for this league and know it will challenge us every night as I start my journey as the head coach."

The Pioneers will start their 2026 campaign on the round in Anchorage, Alaska at the Seawolf Invitational, hosted by the University of Alaska Anchorage. TWU will play their first match on Aug. 27 against Lenoir-Rhyne, who closed their 2025 season in the second round of the NCAA Southeast Regional. It will mark the Pioneers first match against Lenoir-Rhyne in program history.

Across Aug. 27 and 28, they will face the host, Alaska Anchorage, and Alaska Fairbanks. TWU is 0-3 against these two programs all-time. Finally, TWU will close the Alaska trip with a match on Aug. 29 against Chico State, who they have not faced since 1986.

After being on the road, TWU will return home to Kitty Magee Arena to host the Marriott Inn & Suites Corinth - Denton Volleyfest. The Pioneers will play their season opener on Sept. 3 at 6 p.m. against Southern Nazarene. It will mark the first meeting between the two teams since 2018. Then, on Friday, Sept. 4, TWU will meet Central Oklahoma. The Pioneers are 13-25 against Central Oklahoma. They will look to win their first match against the Bronchos since 2008. TWU will close out the Marriott Inn & Suites Corinth - Denton Volleyfest with two matches on Saturday, Sept. 5 against Southern Arkansas and a first-time meeting against Stanislaus State.

Following the home stand, TWU will head to San Antonio to play St. Mary's and UT Tyler in the Lone Star Conference Challenge on Sept. 10-11. The Pioneers went 0-2 against the Rattlers last season, while they went 1-1 against the Patriots. Opponents for the challenge are determined based on finish in the conference in 2025. These matches will not count toward the 2026 LSC record.

Conference action for the Pioneers will start on the road on Sept. 19 at Dallas Baptist, as they will look to continue the two-match winning streak against the Patriots from last season. After a Sept. 22 match at Texas A&M-Kingsville, TWU will play their first LSC matches at home in KMA, as they meet Eastern New Mexico on Sept. 25 and West Texas A&M on Sept. 26. In 2025, the Pioneers upset then No. 17 West Texas A&M in the first round of the LSC Tournament.

TWU will open the month of October on the road with a match at Sul Ross State on Oct. 1 and a trip to Western New Mexico on Oct. 3. The Pioneers are 3-0 against Sul Ross State all time, and they are on an eight-match win streak against Western New Mexico.

The Pioneers will be back at home to face St. Mary's and St. Edward's on Oct. 9 and 10 before going on a three-match road trip Oct. 16, 17 and 20. On the road trip, TWU will face the reigning LSC Champions Angelo State, UT Permian Basin and Texas A&M International.

Back in KMA on Oct. 23, TWU will look to defeat Lubbock Christian, who ended the Pioneers 2025 season in the LSC tournament. Then, the Pioneers will face Midwestern State on Oct. 24.

TWU's final road trip of the regular season will take place on Oct. 30-31, against Cameron and Oklahoma Christian, respectively. The Pioneers will close the 2026 regular season at home on Nov. 6 and 7 against UT Tyler and UT Dallas, as TWU looks to pick up their first program win against UT Dallas in the third meeting between the two teams.

The LSC Tournament will be held Nov. 11-14 at the No. 1 seed with an expanded field to nine teams for the 2026 season. The NCAA South Central Regional Tournament will take place on Nov. 19-22 at the No. 1 seed.

Make plans to support your Pioneers this season.