TicketsJune 4, 2010
2010 Cincinnati Volleyball Schedule
CINCINNATI - On the heels of a trip to its first BIG EAST Conference Championship game appearance and back-to-back trips to the NCAA Tournament, the University of Cincinnati volleyball team released its 2010 schedule today, which is highlighted by seven match-ups against NCAA Tournament teams from last year.
" I think it's a very competitive schedule," said head coach Reed Sunahara. "It will give us a good indication of where we are after the first four weeks and offer some good challenges for our team. "
The Bearcats play their annual Alumni Game on August 21, their lone exhibition match, before heading to the west coast to begin their quest for a BIG EAST championship and another appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
The season begins when Cincinnati takes on Northern Colorado, Cal State Northridge, and tournament host San Diego State at the San Diego State Tournament, August 27-28, in San Diego, Calif. Following the tournament, UC will remain in California and head up the coast to play UC Santa Barbara on Monday, Aug. 30. Both Northern Colorado and UC Santa Barbara were NCAA Tournament squads a year ago.
Following its west coast swing, the Bearcats begin their 11-match home schedule when they welcome Kent State, James Madison, and Murray State to Fifth Third Arena for the Bearcats Invitational, Sept. 3-4. UC will turn right around and host 2009 NCAA Sweet Sixteen participant Kentucky on Tuesday, Sept. 7.
Cincinnati's final two non-conference tournaments will be at the Holiday Inn Classic in Charleston, S.C., and the BIG EAST/Big Ten Challenge in Louisville, Ky. In Charleston, UC's opponents will be the College of Charleston, Oregon State, and Auburn, while its BIG EAST/Big Ten Challenge foes will be another 2009 NCAA Sweet Sixteen participant in Illinois and Purdue. The Holiday Inn Classic takes place Sept. 10-11, while the BIG EAST/Big Ten Challenge is set for Sept. 17-18.
While the Kentucky match serves as the Bearcats only non-conference home game of the campaign, UC will play non-conference mid-week matches at Morehead State (Sept. 21), Western Kentucky (Oct. 19), IUPUI (Oct. 26), and Miami (OH) (Nov. 26).
The BIG EAST schedule begins at home for UC when Seton Hall and Rutgers come to Fifth Third Arena on Sept. 24 and Sept. 26, respectively. The Bearcats also host DePaul (Oct. 8), 2009 BIG EAST regular-season champion and NCAA tournament team Notre Dame (Oct. 10), USF (Oct. 23), Georgetown (Oct. 24), and Villanova (Oct. 31).
Cincinnati's road conference match-ups will be at St. John's (Oct. 1), at Connecticut (Oct. 3), and at BIG EAST Tournament Champion and NCAA participant Louisville (Oct. 16), before closing the regular season with four straight road games at West Virginia (Nov. 6), at Pittsburgh (Nov. 7), at Syracuse (Nov. 12), and at Marquette (Nov. 14).
The 2010 BIG EAST Tournament will be played in Pittsburgh Nov. 19-21.