OKLAHOMA CITY (Jan. 18, 2021) – Due to decisions by two Lone Star Conference schools to not play during the rescheduled volleyball season, the league announced Monday changes to the league schedule that affected Oklahoma Christian.

The 16 LSC teams that will play during what the league is calling a "spring" season will do so in four four-team pods, in which the teams in each pod will play four matches against each of the other three schools – two at home and two on the road, for a total of 12 conference matches. OC's pod will include Arkansas-Fort Smith, Cameron and Midwestern State (Texas).

OC also has added a handful of nonconference matches against in-state opponents. The Eagles' opener – which will be their first intercollegiate match since fall 1983 – will be at Southwestern Oklahoma State of the Great American Conference at 3 p.m. on Sunday.

Coach Barry Wheeler's Eagles will host Midwestern State on Jan. 26-27 before traveling to Shawnee to visit Oklahoma Baptist of the GAC on Jan. 29. OC will host Cameron on Feb. 2-3 and visit Arkansas-Fort Smith on Feb. 9-10 before hosting Northwestern Oklahoma State of the GAC on Feb. 17.

After a trip to Wichita Falls, Texas, for matches at Midwestern State on Feb. 23-24, the Eagles will host local rival Central Oklahoma of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association on Feb. 28. Arkansas-Fort Smith will visit OC on March 2-3 ahead of the Eagles' return match at UCO on March 7.

OC will close LSC play on March 9-10 at Cameron before finishing the regular season with a pair of matches against GAC foes – home against Southern Nazarene on March 13 and at Northwestern on March 18.

The LSC Volleyball Championship tournament will include 12 teams, with the top three finishers in each division qualifying. The opening round is set for March 23, followed by the quarterfinals on March 24, semifinals on March 30 and championship match on March 30. All LSC postseason matches will be at on-campus sites.

Eastern New Mexico and Western New Mexico both opted out of the LSC spring 2021 volleyball schedule due to the state of New Mexico's health guidelines related to COVID-19.

Although the LSC is referring to the schedule as the "spring 2021" season, for statistical purposes, it will count as the Eagles' 2020 season, which had been set to begin last August. The NCAA will count statistics from matches played during the spring, but no Division II fall-sports student-athletes will be charged with a season of eligibility.