Wednesday, April 18, 2007

TUSCULUM RELEASES 2007 VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE

2007 Schedule

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Tusculum College has released its 2007 volleyball schedule as the Pioneers will take on the toughest slate of opponents in the storied history of the program.

The Pioneers, under the direction of second-year head coach Nathan Baker, posted a 14-win improvement from a season before as TC went 23-10 and finished fourth in the South Atlantic Conference. TC's nine SAC wins were the most by the Pioneers since joining the league in 1998.

Tusculum will face a grueling 36-match schedule that features four teams that qualified for the NCAA Division II Tournament, including two that advanced to the Elite Eight. Tusculum will test its metal right out of the gate when it faces 2006 national runner-up North Alabama in the opening match of the UNA Tournament on Aug. 24. UNA posted a 34-6 record and finished the season ranked No. 3 in the nation.

Later that day, Tusculum will face Ashland, who was eliminated by North Alabama in the national quarterfinals last season. Ashland went 23-10 last year and ended the year No. 10 in the country.

"Playing in the North Alabama Tournament will be a true test for our team, playing against some of the nation's best Division II programs," said Baker. "This will be a learning experience for all of us, with only two returning starters from last year's squad, this places a lot of pressure on us in becoming a team in a short period of time."

Tusculum will also face traditional national powers Northern Kentucky and North Dakota on Aug. 25 in the second day of the UNA Tournament.

On Aug. 28, the Pioneers will travel to Johnson City to face NCAA Division I East Tennessee State. The Bucs went 25-7 while capturing the Atlantic Sun Conference title. The Pioneers will compete at the Carson-Newman Tournament (Aug. 31 - Sep. 1) before wrapping up their lengthy road swing with a match at Lander University on Sep. 5.

The Pioneers open at home Sep. 7-8 when they host the Tusculum Fall Classic. TC will face Virginia Intermont, Barton, Kentucky State and West Liberty State.

"Our tournament this year has a lot of good competition with teams from the CVAC, WVIAC and the SIAC," added Baker.

Tusculum opens South Atlantic Conference play on Sep. 14 when they travel to Wingate to take on the defending league champions. The Bulldogs went 25-8 last season, while advancing to the NCAA Tournament. On Sep. 15, TC will be at Catawba College for a tough league tilt.

Tusculum returns home Sep. 18 to entertain arch-rival Carson-Newman at Pioneer Arena. TC will play in its fourth tournament of the year as the Pioneers participate at the Anderson Tournament in Anderson, S.C. Following a Sep. 25 league match at Mars Hill, TC is back home for home contests against Newberry (Sep. 28) and a re-match with Catawba (Sep. 29).

For the first time in over a decade, Tusculum and Lincoln Memorial will face off in a conference match on Oct. 3 in Harrogate, Tenn. TC is back at Pioneer Arena for three straight matches, including Lenoir-Rhyne (Oct. 5), Brevard (Oct. 6) and Wingate (Oct. 12). Brevard is slated to join the SAC as an official member in the near future.

Following an Oct. 16 rematch at Carson-Newman, Tusculum will compete in a tri-match in Aiken, S.C. against USC Aiken and Armstrong Atlantic State. The host Pacers posted a 28-7 record last season while capturing the Peach Belt Conference crown and advancing to the NCAA Tournament. AASU recorded a 20-win season by going 20-15 in 2006.

Tusculum steps back into league play on Oct. 23 as it hosts Mars Hill, followed by an Oct. 26 road trip to Newberry. Lincoln Memorial makes the return trip to Greeneville to face Tusculum in a Halloween Night showdown. The two teams met this past season on Oct. 31 as the Pioneers rallied two games down to defeat the Lady Railsplitters in five games, 3-2.

After road matches at Lenoir-Rhyne (Nov. 2) and Brevard (Nov. 3), TC wraps up the regular season with a Nov. 6 home match against King College.

The 2007 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament will be held this season on the campus of Carson-Newman in Jefferson City, Tenn.

Tusculum College, located in Greeneville, Tenn., is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church, USA and is a NCAA Division II member of the South Atlantic Conference which is comprised of nine colleges and universities in Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina.

- TC -