BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - The Western Kentucky University volleyball season officially gets underway this weekend when the Lady Toppers travel to the Belmont Invitational at the Curb Event Center in Nashville, Tenn.
WKU opens with Sacramento State in a 4 p.m. match Friday, followed Saturday by a 12:30 p.m. matchup with Belmont and a 3:30 p.m. contest against Murray State.
"I know it's something our players our looking forward to," WKU coach Travis Hudson said. "This is a team that we are little bit further ahead with in terms of installing a lot of things and I really do think it's time to just get out there and see where we are."
Sacramento State is coming off a season that saw them go 15-17 overall with an 8-8 mark in Big Sky play, finishing fifth in the conference. This season, Sacramento State returns 11 letterwinners, including six starters from a season ago. The Lady Toppers and the Hornets are tied 1-1 in the all-time series with the last meeting coming in 2009.
"Sacramento State is a team that is really dangerous this early in the year because they return everybody from a year ago," Hudson said. "And that is really a big advantage this early in the year when teams are trying to get some new people invovled in what they are doing and so that makes it a really dangerous first opponent for us."
Belmont finished the 2010 season with a 14-15 overall record and a 7-3 mark in Atlantic Sun Conference action. The Bruins finished fourth in the conference and return eight letterwinner this season. WKU leads the all-time series between the two teams 12-0, including a 4-0 mark in Nashville.
Murray State enters the season looking for just the program's second bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Racers went 15-17 last season under the direction of 14th-year head coach David Schwepker. In Ohio Valley Conference play, Murray State went 9-9 and finished tied for fourth. The Racers return four starters from last season.
'The two teams on Saturday are both really, really well coached," Hudson said. "Every time I have ever played against either of those, they are very well prepared teams, they are really good defensive teams and they make you earn what you get and that is a test early on."
WKU is 10-6 is season openers under Hudson and will look to make a strong opening statement this weekend.
"I just want us to go compete," Hudson said. "I know we have talent but I also know it is really early and everything is not going to go great. I just want to see us compete at a high level regardless of what is going on good or bad and if we do that, we certainly will make progress in the right direction which is ultimately what we are trying to do."
The first Belmont Invitational was held back in 2008 at the Curb Event Center. Prior to hosting the Belmont Invitational, Belmont held an annual Bruin Classic in 1994 and 1996-99. Live stats for all tournament matches will be avaliable at WKUSports.com.
Match Notes
