Above photo by Russell Marwitz/True To The Cru/russellmarwitz.com
BELTON- After posting a 24-2 record in the 2021 season, the UMHB volleyball team is set to return to the court on the first day of September, prepared to defend its ASC regular season title.
The Crusaders kick off the 2022 campaign by hosting a five-team tournament in Belton from September 1-3, a welcome change from last year’s season-opening weekend that featured four matches in two days and a trip 495 miles east to Jackson, Mississippi. This time around, Howard Payne, Schreiner, Centenary, and Hendrix College, in that order, will face the Cru on their home floor, with the potential for four early victories very much in reach.Â
That is followed by the ASC opener at ETBU, set for Sept. 8 in Marshall, followed by a pair of matches at St. Thomas (Houston) on Sept. 9-10. A five-match stretch of conference duels follows, highlighted by a rivalry showdown against reigning conference tournament champ UT-Dallas, at noon on Sept. 17. That one will be played in Belton, but as is customary by the ASC schedule, UMHB faces each of the other eight teams in the ASC twice, once at home and once on the road. The return trip to Richardson is set for 2 p.m. on Oct. 22, and is a match that holds the potential to decide who claims the league’s regular season title.
The regular season finale is, for the first time since 2019, a non-conference match, as the Crusaders battle Hendrix for the second time. The Warriors went 13-13 in 2021, and will host UMHB on Oct. 29 in Conway, Arkansas. It will be the only match the Cru plays outside of the state of Texas.
The ASC’s parity was displayed over the course of last season, with six teams recording at least 10 conference wins in the 18-match league schedule. Belhaven’s move to the USA South Conference, which will be made official in the fall, means one fewer team in the ASC, and just 16 conference matches, placing even more emphasis on each conference duel.
Complete 2022 Schedule
Sept. 1: Howard Payne, 1 p.m., Belton
Sept. 1: Schreiner, 6 p.m., Belton
Sept. 2: Centenary, 6 p.m., Belton
Sept. 3: Hendrix, 1 p.m., Belton
Sept, 8: ETBU, Time TBD, Marshall, Texas
Sept. 9-10: St. Thomas (TX), Times TBD, Houston, Texas
Sept. 13: McMurry, 6 p.m., Abilene, Texas
Sept. 16: LeTourneau, 6 p.m., Belton
Sept. 17: UT-Dallas, 12 p.m., Belton
Sept. 20: Hardin-Simmons, 6 p.m., Abilene, Texas
Sept. 23: Concordia (TX), 6 p.m., Austin, Texas
Sept. 28: Texas Lutheran, 6 p.m., Belton
Sept. 30: Sul Ross State, 5 p.m., Alpine, Texas
Oct. 1 (Doubleheader): Howard Payne, Times TBD, Brownwood, Texas
Oct. 7: Hardin-Simmons, 6 p.m., Belton
Oct. 8: McMurry, 12 p.m., Belton
Oct. 11: Sul Ross State, 6 p.m., Belton
Oct. 14: ETBU, 6 p.m., Belton
Oct. 21: LeTourneau, 6 p.m., Longview, Texas
Oct. 22: UT-Dallas, 2 p.m., Richardson, Texas
Oct. 27: Concordia (TX), 6 p.m., Belton
Oct. 29: Hendrix, Time TBD, Conway, Arkansas
UMHB also released its 2022 recruiting class on Monday. Click here to read more from the UMHB Athletics Department.
