UTB/TSC begins Chapter Two of the Todd Lowery Era Friday when the Scorpions compete in the Wesleyan Hughes Volleyball Classic Friday and Saturday on the campus of Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth.

The Scorpions, who were 31-1 in Lowery's first regular season in 2009 and finished the year with a 34-3 record, will play three matches in two days at TWU.

The Scorpions start the season Friday with a noon match against Mid-American Christian University (Okla.), followed by a 6 p.m. match against Loyola University (La.). On Saturday, UTB/TSC meets Brenau University (Ga.).

To see the tournament website, click here.

"We are very excited to get out on the road and play somebody else since we have been beating up on each other for two weeks now," Lowery said. "It is time to come together and see what we can do as a group."

The Scorpions have a solid roster that features six players who were part of the NAIA National Tournament quarterfinalist team in 2009.

Among the returning starters are front-line players Talita Milasauskas and Erica Chimak and the versatile Rafaella Dornelas. All three are from Brazil.

Also expected to be in the top rotation are setter Paula Barros, outside hitter Danika Markovic, and middle blocker Ana Guerra. Front-liners Michelle Marques and Katharina Nobel, setter Tamires Ferreira and defensive specialist Gregner Gotay-Quinones will also see significant playing time.

Nobel, a junior transfer from Leer, Germany, is the tallest Scorpion at 6-4. Marques and Milasauskas are both 6-2, and Guerra and Chimak are each 6-1. Dornelas and the athletic Markovic are each 5-11.

"We are still coming together as a group," Lowery said. "There is a lot of talent from top to bottom on the roster we are still trying to figure out what is going to work best for this group.  Hopefully this weekend we can play some different lineups and see how we can use everybody effectively."

The Scorpions are the only ranked team in the tournament and are expected to win all three matches. The No. 8 ranking is the highest ever for any Scorpion team in any sport.

"We do not think too much about the ranking. We have to go out and get better every day until the end of the season," Lowery said. "If we do that, we are going to be just fine come post season play."