LAREDO, Texas – Texas A&M International volleyball will begin the 2019 campaign on the road as they compete in the Dr. Steve Aicinena Invitational hosted by UT Permian Basin in Odessa, Texas on Friday.

The Dustdevils will crack the seal on the new season against the University of the Southwest on Friday at 11 a.m. and follow that up with a match against Lone Star Conference foe UTPB at 6 p.m. They will wrap up the tournament on Saturday as they face off against Westminster at 11 a.m.

As one of the new members in the Lone Star Conference, TAMIU looks to improve upon last year's performance with nine players returning from 2018. The future looks bright with the addition of seven new players, including six freshmen.

The University of the Southwest enters the tournament as the only NAIA school competing. So far this season, the Mustangs have compiled a record of 2-5 under the guidance of first year coach Katrina English.

UTPB looks to continue the program's momentum from 2018, after the Falcons made their first appearance in the Lone Star Conference Championships in school history last season. Head Coach Tim Loesch's squad returns two All-LSC players from last season as well as a total of 10 returners.

Westminster looks to improve on their 7-19 record from 2018 under new head coach Karrin Moore. Moore inherits an experience-laden team with five seniors and four juniors.

All matches from the tournament will have live stats available through www.utpbfalcons.com as well as live video through the Lone Star Conference Network.