Volleyball Begins 2013 Season Friday

Friday, August 30
12:00 – Wright State at Western Carolina (WCU Invitational)
12:00 – Valparaiso at UCF (Holiday Inn Select/UCF Invitational) 
2:00 – Cleveland State vs. Hartford (Canisius Tournament)
4:00 – UIC vs. Elon (Kristen Dickmann Invitational)
4:30 – Wright State vs. UNC Asheville (WCU Invitational)
5:00 – Milwaukee vs. Oklahoma (Holiday Inn West Invitational)
5:30 – Valparaiso vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (UCF Invitational)
6:00 – Youngstown State at Coastal Carolina (Coastal Carolina Tournament)
7:00 – Central Michigan at Oakland (Golden Grizzlies Invitational)
8:00 – Cleveland State vs. North Carolina State (Canisius Tournament)
8:00 – Green Bay at Northern Illinois (NIU Invitational)

Saturday, August 31
10:00 a.m. – Valparaiso vs. Alabama State (UFC Invitational)
10:00 a.m. – Wright State vs. Boston College (WCU Invitational)
11:00 a.m. – UIC at Navy (Kristen Dickmann Invitational)
12:00 – Villanova at Oakland (Golden Grizzlies Invitational)
12:00 – Milwaukee at Western Michigan (Holiday Inn West Invitational)
1:00 – Green Bay vs. Ohio State (NIU Invitational)
1:30 – Youngstown State vs. Iowa (Coastal Carolina Tournament)
2:00 – Cleveland State vs. Eastern Michigan (Canisius Tournament)
4:00 – UIC vs. UNC-Wilmington (Kristen Dickmann Invitational)
4:30 – Youngstown State vs. Wofford (Coastal Carolina Tournament)
5:00 – Wright State vs. USC Upstate (WCU Invitational)
5:00 – Milwaukee vs. Northwestern (Holiday Inn West Invitational)
5:30 – Valparaiso vs. North Florida (UCF Invitational)
6:00 – Cleveland State at Canisius (Canisius Tournament)
6:00 – Green Bay vs. Liberty (NIU Invitational)
7:00 – Oregon State at Oakland (Golden Grizzlies Invitational)

The eight Horizon League volleyball teams begin their 2013-14 seasons Friday as they all participate in season opening tournaments.

Valparaiso, for the first time since joining the Horizon League prior to the 2007 season, has been chosen to finish atop the league standings in preseason polling of the league's head coaches. The Crusaders went 10-4 in league play last season, finishing in a tie for second in the league standings.All six starters in the rotation from last year's 21-win squad return in 2013 for the Crusaders, part of a group of nine returnees.

Preseason All-League selections Ellen Vanden Berg and Morgan Beil lead a group of attackers up front that returns six of seven players from last season that tallied at least 100 kills. Running a 6-2 formation, the Crusaders also return both setters in senior Ariel Cudney and sophomore Kelsey Berrington.

The Cleveland State volleyball team will open the 2013 season this weekend, as the Vikings are set to participate in the Canisius Tournament. Over the past four seasons the Vikings have compiled a record of 31-11 in early-season tournaments, including a perfect 9-0 mark in 2010. During that span CSU has claimed six tournament titles and has earned 24 all-tournament team accolades.
For the second straight season the Vikings were picked to finish second in the Horizon League Preseason Poll, and were one of three teams to garner first place votes.

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's volleyball team opens the 2013 season with three difficult matches at the Holiday Inn West Invitational in Kalamazoo, Mich. The Panthers were picked to finish third in the Horizon League in a poll of the league's coaches.A pair of Milwaukee players were included in the Preseason All-Horizon League squad, which was also voted upon by the league coaches. Senior Rachel Neuberger was named the league's preseason offensive player of the year and was joined by setter Kayla Price on the all-league team.

That duo will lead the Panthers in 2013. Neuberger is a two-time all-league performer and was an All-American in 2011. Price missed all of the league schedule a season ago because of injury but was the region freshman of the year in 2011.

The Golden Grizzlies, in their first season in the Horizon League, host its third annual Golden Grizzlies Volleyball Invitational this Friday and Saturday inside the Athletics Center O'rena. Oakland returns three starters from last year’s team that finished in a tie for third place in the Summit League. Junior Taylor Humm is the top returnee for OU, the outside hitter averaged 2.89 kills per set and 3.67 digs per set last season.

The UIC volleyball team begins its 2013 campaign Friday at the two-day Kristen Dickmann Invitational in Annapolis, Md. The Flames enter the campaign after finishing runner-up at the Horizon League Championship to conclude the 2012 season. The Flames compiled a 10-4 Horizon League record to earn the No. 2 seed heading into the tournament, but return just one (MaryKate Imrie) of their three All-League performers from last season.

Under the direction of first-year head coach Michaela Franklin, the Green Bay volleyball team will open its 2013 season this weekend at the Northern Illinois Invitational in DeKalb, Ill. Franklin, who got her start as an assistant at NIU from 2006-08, will begin her head-coaching career in challenging fashion, as all three of Green Bay’s opponents this weekend won at least 21 matches in 2012 and two (OSU and Liberty) played in last year’s NCAA Tournament.

The Youngstown State volleyball team will embark on its 2013 season that is full of high expectations this weekend with three matches at the Coastal Carolina Tournament in Conway, S.C. The Penguins return 12 letterwinners, all six starters and their libero from last season's squad that finished 15-14. That was the best record for the program in 13 years. Included in that group of returners are preseason Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year Jenna Cavanaugh and preseason all-league member Missy Hundelt.Wright State will look to bounce back from a disappointing 2012 season as it begins play at the Western Carolina Invitational. The Raiders will be led by senior Heidi Splinter (378 kills last season) and sophomore Katie Glassmeyer (522 digs).