University of Denver
Texas A&M Corpus Christi
Players Mentioned
Pioneers Head to Texas for Tarleton State Invitational
9/8/2026 12:40:00 PM | Volleyball
DENVER – The University of Denver volleyball team will hit the road for the first time this season, traveling to Stephenville, Texas, for the Tarleton State Invitational on Sept. 10-12. The Pioneers will face Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Tarleton State and Sam Houston over the three-day tournament.
Denver enters the weekend 5-1 overall after going 3-0 at last weekend's Denver Invitational. The Pioneers opened the season with wins over Central Arkansas and CSUN before facing Colorado in their final match of the opening weekend. Denver bounced back with three straight victories over SIUE, Idaho and Marist to claim the Denver Invitational title.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Denver will open the tournament Thursday against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at 3 p.m. MT before facing host Tarleton State on Friday at 5 p.m. MT. The Pioneers will close the weekend Saturday morning against Sam Houston at 11 a.m. MT.
The matches will be streamed live on ESPN+.
PIONEERS BY THE NUMBERS
Denver has been led offensively by Jamia Johnson, who enters the weekend with 75 kills on the season after recording 48 kills across Denver's three matches last weekend. Alicia Thibodeau has added 58 kills, while Quinlan Jones has 34.
Defensively, Madison Winkler leads the Pioneers with 111 digs on the season and earned WCC Defensive Player of the Week honors after collecting 59 digs across three matches last weekend.
Ilayda Eren has paced the Denver offense with 134 assists, while Lily Van Hal has added 123 assists through six matches.
Ticket Information:
Tickets for the 2026 volleyball season are on sale now, and can be purchased here.
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