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Volleyball Announces 2010 Schedule
May 28, 2010
(San Francisco) - Nine matches against eight 2009 NCAA Tournament participants highlight the 2010 USF Volleyball schedule, as announced by head coach Gilad Doron Friday. Headlining the schedule are home contests against four Tournament teams, including Pacific-10 powerhouses California and Stanford.
In addition to the Bears and Cardinal, the Dons will welcome UC Santa Barbara, Washington State and Saint Mary's into the friendly confines of War Memorial Gym this season. San Francisco will also face Miami, Florida International and Lipscomb on the road during the non-conference season, before traveling to Moraga to face the Gaels.
USF will open the 2010 campaign August 27, traveling to Omaha, Nebraska for the first of three Tournaments. While in the Midwest, USF will face host Creighton, Kansas and Lipscomb at the Bluejay Invitational. The Lady Bison advanced to the first round of the NCAA Tournament in 2009, earning a bid as the Atlantic Sun Champions.
The Dons will return to the Hilltop Labor Day Weekend, September 3-4, to host the annual Asics Challenge. This year USF will welcome UCSB, Washington State and Tulsa to War Memorial Gym for the tournament. Both the Gauchos and the Cougars earned at-large bids last season to the postseason, but were unable to advance out of the first round.
San Francisco will compete in its final regular season tournament of the season September 10-11 when it travels to Coral Gables for the Miami Hurricane Invitational. The Dons will open the tournament against host Miami before facing Florida International and Bethune Cookman. Miami and FIU are both coming off NCAA Tournament appearances. The Hurricanes earned an at-large bid out of the ACC, while the Panthers earned an at-large bid after earning the Sun Belt Championship regular season title. The 2009 appearance was the second straight postseason bid for FIU.
The most challenging match-ups of the season will come on consecutive days, as USF hosts California and Stanford, September 17 and 18. The Bears made their eighth straight NCAA appearance last season, advancing to the quarterfinals. The Cardinal are defending their fourth-straight Pac-10 title, and, in 2009, advanced to the third round in their 29th straight NCAA Tournament bid.
USF will remain on the Hilltop to host Seattle September 25, before kicking off the West Coast Conference season September 30 hosting Pepperdine.
Following an October 2 tilt with Loyola Marymount, San Francisco will head to the Pacific Northwest to face Gonzaga and Portland, October 7 and 9, respectively.
San Francisco will return to the Bay Area for four matches over two weeks, hosting three and taking a short trip south for one. USF will host San Diego and defending WCC Champion Saint Mary's October 14 and 16, before playing its lone weekday match of the season against UC Davis, Tuesday, October 19. October 22, USF will take the short trip to Santa Clara to face the Broncos to round out the first half of WCC action.
The second half of the conference season opens October 28 and 30, with a swing to Southern California to face the Lions and Waves. The Dons continue WCC action with Portland and Gonzaga at War Memorial Gym November 4 and 6, before heading east for a November 11 tilt with the Gaels in Moraga.
After the final road match, November 13 at San Diego, USF will close out the regular season with Senior Day against rival Santa Clara Friday, November 19.
