The volleyball team heads to Fairfax, Va., this weekend to play in its first tournament of the season, the Patriot Invitational, hosted by George Mason.As part of the weekend, TCU will face George Mason, Cal Poly, Seton Hall and Maryland-Baltimore.

“All the teams that we’re playing are really competitive, really good teams, and we’re really excited about that,” head coach Prentice Lewis said.

The team is permitted to participate in four tournaments over the course of the preseason to help prepare for conference play.

“We’re using the tournaments to get better, match by match, to help us develop and get into conference,” Lewis said.

Freshman middle blocker Gabi McHughsaid, “You use a lot more energy than you normally would in one weekend.”

To stay conditioned, it is imperative that players raise their level of play and do more drills in their three-hour practices, said junior middle blocker Anna Vaughn.

Rather than focusing on making their opponents look weak, the Horned Frogs’ strategy is to make themselves look better, Vaughn said.

“We work on making our weaknesses stronger and making our strengths even stronger in practice,” Vaughn said.

With an 0-1 record, TCU hopes to get its first win while gaining confidence.

“In the tournament, we need to play as a team and work together to get better,” said Vaughn.

The team is entered in tournaments for the next three weekends, including the Denver Tournament on Sept. 9 and 10. The team will return home Sept. 16 for the Molten/Fort Worth Plaza Invitational.