HUNTSVILLE, Texas – The Brian Yale regime as leader of the UTPA Volleyball program begins this weekend as the Broncs travel to the campus of Sam Houston State University to compete in the two-day four-match Bearkat Invitational Friday and Saturday at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum.

The Broncs will face tournament host SHSU for their season opener on Friday morning at 11:30 am, followed by a match with Louisiana Tech at 4:30 pm. On Saturday the Broncs face off against the Islanders of Texas A&M Corpus Christi at 9:00 am, then will finish off their four-match weekend against Rutgers with a 4:30 PM start time.

The 2011 season will be the first as a head coach for Brian Yale after spending the previous six seasons as the top assistant coach at Stephen F. Austin. The Lady Jacks have traditionally been the top team in the Southland Conference, including a 62 match in-conference win streak from 2004-07. Yale's familiarity with the Bearkats will be key for this weekend's match.

The Bearkats will be the Broncs first opponent of the tournament. UTPA will be looking for their first win against the Bearkats, having last faced the tournament host back in 2009. SHSU features three All-Southland Conference selections including two-time winner in senior outside hitter Carli Kolbe. Kolbe was third in the SLC in kills in 2010 with 424.

Texas A&M Corpus Christi will be another familiar opponent for Coach Yale. Coach Yale feels the entire tournament field will be an interesting test for his squad.

“This was a tournament that I thought would give us a good variety of teams to play that I felt could allow us to have some success if we would go out and play well,” Coach Yale said. “Sam Houston State will be probably the most experienced team of the weekend, and will be a huge challenge for us as our first match. Corpus is an up and comer that has added some nice pieces to the kids they return from last year, so they'll be solid as well.”

Louisiana Tech will be the Broncs second opponent on Friday with a 4:30 pm start time. The Lady Techsters are a former Sun Belt Conference foe for UTPA, although they now compete in the Western Athletic Conference. The LaTech is coming off a 13-20 season with a 2-14 mark in the WAC. They return just four letter winners and two starters total.

Rutgers is coming off an 11-17 season with a 3-11 record in the Big East Conference and return just four starters including junior middle blocker Alex Jones who finished with 231 kills in 2010.

“LaTech is a team that I haven't seen in awhile, and like us, have a lot of new additions to their roster,” Coach Yale added. “With their foreign kids, I expect them to be high energy, but maybe still a little unpolished.”

“Rutgers is the unknown. They're a building program like ourselves, but have a couple years jump on the process. So we'll see. We'll get a chance to see Corpus and Rutgers play before we play them, so that will help us understand some of their tendencies prior to getting on the court.”

The Broncs are a young team in 2011 as they have eight underclassmen on the roster including six freshmen. Juniors Sarah Davis and Ijanae Holman were the only Broncs to see significant action in 2010. Holman leads the returnees in total attacks with 659 and 189 kills. The Broncs also return sophomore Kristi Garcia and junior Krissy Perez.

Freshman outside hitter Krysta Freitas will start on the right side for UTPA at the tournament. Freshmen Michelle McNamee and Diara Reynolds will see significant time at the left side over the next four matches and Ashten Landry will take up a spot on the back row.

“Building a program takes time,” Coach Yale said. “Experience and upperclassmen are paramount to building a winning tradition. It's true we don't have a lot of either right now, but we'll start the process by getting better every time we play.

Coach Yale hopes to have a competitive team despite the youth on his squad. He feels that the early experience against tough competition will lead to small goals early and win-streaks later.

“I expect us to go out, play hard and aggressive (compete), and play to our preparation. So the outcome can take care of itself,” Yale said. “If we're willing to put out a good effort each and every time we step on the floor, the wins will come when it's time.

The Broncs being the 2011 season with seven matches away from Edinburg before kicking off their home schedule on September 6th against Texas Tech.

Live stats and live video are available via the Sam Houston State website at www.gobearkats.com