RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Department of Intercollegiate Athletics announced the complete 2025 schedule for the Vaqueros volleyball team on Wednesday. The Vaqueros will play 10 home matches at the UTRGV Fieldhouse and host the Southwest Showdown. 
 
UTRGV opens the season in Phoenix for the GCU Invitational Aug. 29-31 hosted by Grand Canyon (GCU). The Vaqueros will face Gonzaga, GCU and Long Island. 
 
The first home matches of 2025 will be part of the Southwest Showdown – a four-team rotating tournament featuring the Vaqueros, Texas State, UTEP and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The tournament will bring five exciting matches to the UTRGV Fieldhouse Sept. 4-6. UTRGV will face Texas State at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 4 in the home opener, then battle UTEP at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 5. 
 
Season tickets are on sale now for $55. Interested fans can join the UTRGV Volleyball Premium Seating waitlist for courtside season tickets for $155. Faculty and staff members are eligible for discounted season ticket pricing. Single match tickets and Southwest Showdown tickets will go on sale at a later date. All tickets, except for courtside seating, are general admission for the 2025 volleyball season at the UTRGV Fieldhouse.
 
Fans who renew or purchase their season tickets by July 25 will receive additional complimentary tickets equal to the number of season tickets purchased to the South Texas Showdown matches against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Fans who renew or purchase by Aug. 8 will receive an autographed team photo. Fans can purchase season tickets at GoUTRGV.com/SeasonTickets or by calling the UTRGV Tickets team at (956) 665-4205. 
 
"We're looking forward to a highly competitive schedule that will challenge us from the start," head coach Todd Lowery said. "Opening the season with teams like GCU and Gonzaga, then coming home to play against quality in-state opponents in Texas State and UTEP gives us a great opportunity to set the tone early. These matches will help prepare us for what we know will be a tough conference slate, especially with long-standing rivals like Stephen F. Austin and Corpus. Every match is a step toward building the toughness and cohesion we'll need when postseason time arrives." 
 
The Vaqueros will go back on the road for their next six contests. First, they'll travel to Richmond, Kentucky for the Geri Polvino Invitational hosted by Eastern Kentucky Sept. 12-13. UTRGV will play Northern Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky and Akron. The Vaqueros close the non-conference schedule at James Madison's Erie Insurance Invitational Sept. 19-21 in Harrisonburg, Virginia. They'll face James Madison, William & Mary and Delaware State. 
 
The Vaqueros open the Southland Conference (SLC) slate with a home match against Lamar on Sept. 24 at 12 p.m. at the UTRGV Fieldhouse before its first road conference match Sept. 27 at Stephen F. Austin. 
 
UTRGV will alternate weekends playing two home matches and two away matches through the next four weeks on the schedule. The Vaqueros will host Northwestern State and East Texas A&M on Oct. 2 at 6:30 p.m. and Oct. 4 at 12 p.m., respectively, before heading to Incarnate Word and Houston Christian.  
 
The Vaqueros host reigning regular season SLC champion Southeastern on Oct. 16 at 6:30 p.m. and New Orleans on Oct. 18 at 12 p.m. at the UTRGV Fieldhouse. UTRGV then heads to Louisiana to play at McNeese and Nicholls. 
 
UTRGV will face rival Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, the 2024 SLC Tournament champions, twice in the same week. The first South Texas Showdown match, presented by Rally Credit Union, will be Oct. 30 at 6:30 p.m. in Edinburg. The Vaqueros and Islanders will rematch in Corpus on Nov. 1. 
 
The Vaqueros will host Incarnate Word on Nov. 6 at 6:30 p.m. and Houston Christian on Nov. 8 at 12 p.m. in the final home matches of the regular season. They'll wrap up the conference slate with matches at Northwestern State and East Texas A&M.  
 
The SLC Championship is scheduled for November 21-23 in Commerce. The NCAA Tournament runs Dec. 4-21. The first two rounds and the regional matches will be played at to-be-determined campus sites. The national semifinals will be played Dec. 18 and the national championship match is scheduled for Dec. 21, both at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. 

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