MARSHALL, Texas - It will be another historic day in East Texas Baptist University athletics as the newest program starts their season in Kingsville, Texas. The ETBU Beach Volleyball program is under first-year coach Allison Kuster as she has been preparing the team the past three weeks for this first game vs. Texas A&M-Kingsville.

Kuster says, "We are so excited to get our inaugural season started. The girls have put in a lot of hard work during practice, and I am looking forward to seeing them compete this weekend while making history for this program."

She is no stranger to volleyball playing collegiately at Hardin-Simmons University and then being an assistant volleyball coach under Mallory Matthews at LeTourneau University and ETBU in the fall seasons. She has has several years of club volleyball coaching under her wings, too. Along to help her this year is graduate assistant Kylie Cobb who has also played collegietely at LeTourneau University. 

The team is made up of 13 players with a senior in Hope Shipp, two juniors in Shelby Freudensprung and Libby Gear, sophomore Bailee Kitchen, and nine freshmen. Shipp is the veteran on the first team after playing four years at ETBU on the volleyball team. In her four year career on the court, she had 166 kills and 258 digs. 

ETBU starts their season on Thursday, February 23, at 7:00 p.m. vs. Texas A&M-Kingsville in Kingsville, Texas. They will play five matches in three days against NCAA Division I Utah and Louisiana Monroe, NCAA Division II TAMU-Kingsville, NAIA Missouri Baptist, and NCAA Division III Mary Hardin-Baylor.

Match 1: East Texas Baptist vs. TAMU-Kingsville
Thursday, Feb. 23 | 7:00 p.m.
Kingsville, TX | Javelina Beach Volleyball Courts 

Match 2: East Texas Baptist vs. Utah
Friday, Feb. 24 | 11:15 a.m.
Kingsville, TX | Javelina Beach Volleyball Courts 

Match 3: East Texas Baptist vs. Missouri Baptist
Friday, Feb. 24 | 4:15 p.m.
Kingsville, TX | Javelina Beach Volleyball Courts 

Match 4: East Texas Baptist vs. Louisiana Monroe
Saturday, Feb. 25 | 11:15 a.m.
Kingsville, TX | Javelina Beach Volleyball Courts 

Match 5: East Texas Baptist vs. Mary Hardin-Baylor
Saturday, Feb. 25 | 2:15 p.m.
Kingsville, TX | Javelina Beach Volleyball Courts