ARLINGTON, Texas — For the first time since 2002, the UTA women's volleyball team is returning to the NCAA tournament to compete for a national championship.
The Mavericks, who clinched a berth in the bracket by winning the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) title, face volleyball blue-blood USC in Austin at 4 p.m. Thursday.
None of the 64 teams competing for the championship have gone longer without an NCAA tournament appearance than UTA.
"They had a confidence about themselves and a belief that it could be done," coach J.T. Wenger told WFAA Tuesday, hours before the Mavericks departed for Austin.
The WAC named Wenger its Coach of the Year. The Mavericks have five all-conference honorees, including Player of the Year Brianna Ford.
They'll open the tournament as underdogs to Southern Cal, a 6-seed. The Women of Troy have appeared in 40 NCAA tournaments and won six national championships.
"We're just approaching it as another game of the season," senior Paige Reagor said. "Just have to look past all the flash and realize we're here to play volleyball. When we play loose, that's the best that we play."
Wenger says "light and loose" has become his team's credo. Expect to see the Mavericks dancing on the sidelines and boisterously congratulating each other after sets.
"It shows in our record and the ways that we won," Reagor said. "We just refuse to lose. We did everything together."
The Mavericks are 29-2 this season. They won all 16 of their conference games and snatched the WAC title from Grand Canyon in a thrilling comeback.
The first-round matchup between the Mavericks and Trojans will stream on ESPN+. Thursday's winner will play the University of Texas or Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.