July 15, 2010
WASHINGTON - Georgetown University women's volleyball Head Coach Arlisa Williams has announced her team's 30-match 2010 fall schedule beginning on Friday August 27 when they take on George Washington University at American University as a part of the annual D.C. Challenge. The 2010 season marks Williams' fifth at the helm of the Hoyas volleyball program.
"We are extremely excited to kick off the 2010 season," Williams said. "Our pre-season is one that sees us to playing competitive matches as we take on four 2009 NCAA participants. Two of the four, Binghamton and Furman, we will play during the Georgetown Classic. To be able to match up with such quality opponents at home will hopefully lead to some fans in the stands and definitely gear us up for Big East Competition."
For the fifth consecutive season, the Blue & Gray open its season at the DC Challenge, taking on the Colonials, George Mason and American over two days. GU will also play in the University of Maryland Invitational, where they will match up against Bradley, Fordham and the Terrapins. The Hoyas will participate in the Blackbird Invitational where they will take on host Long Island University, Yale and NJIT, before hosting Binghamton, East Carolina and Furman at the Georgetown Classic on Friday, September 17.
Overall the Hoyas will take on six teams that played in the 2009 NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament, including George Mason, Long Island, Binghamton and BIG EAST opponents Cincinnati, Louisville and Notre Dame.
Georgetown will host eight BIG EAST Conference home matches in 2010 after being home for just six in 2009. The Hoyas open conference play at home against Syracuse on Friday, September 24 with Marquette coming to McDonough Arena on Sunday, September 26. GU will host DePaul (Oct. 1) and Notre Dame (Oct. 3) the following weekend. USF (Oct. 16), Rutgers (Oct. 29), Seton Hall (Oct. 31) and Villanova (Nov. 12) will also visit the Hoyas in 2010.
"I am thrilled that our Big East schedule allows us to have more home matches this year," Williams said. "Playing at home is always fun for our players and it's nice to play in front of a friendly crowd. We can create an exciting match environment that everyone can enjoy. Hopefully that will make it just a little bit harder on the opponents that visit us on the Hilltop."
After beginning conference play with four consecutive home games, the Hoyas first conference road trip will start at West Virginia on Friday, Oct. 8 and conclude at Pittsburgh on Sunday, October 10. Williams' Hoyas will also travel to Louisville (Oct. 22), Cincinnati (Oct. 24), Connecticut (Nov. 5) and St. John's (Nov. 7) during the 2010 season.
Aside from tournaments and conference play, Georgetown will continue local rivalries travelling to Towson (Aug. 31) and Virginia Commonwealth (Sept. 14) and hosting Howard (Sept. 8) and UMBC (Sept. 21).
