Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Volleyball Completes 2004 Schedule
05/27/2004 | 12:00:00 | Women's Volleyball
May 27, 2004
By Lou Antoine
SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Southern Illinois volleyball squad, coming off a tie for eighth place (7-23, 3-15 MVC) in the Missouri Valley Conference, will face a schedule in 2004 that features matches against six 2003 NCAA Tournament teams (No. Iowa, SMS, Pittsburgh, Dayton, Nicholls State & Murray St.).
SIU head coach Sonya Locke lost just one senior, and will have just three upperclassmen (two seniors and a junior) returning with ten freshmen and sophomores for the 2004 season, which includes the Trosclair Memorial Tournament, the Saluki Invitational and the Pittsburgh Classic.
"I feel like this schedule is the right competitive level that we need. I didn't want to schedule too tough, but I also wanted a balanced schedule with good matches throughout the year. I hope that our team is willing, ready and able to play a balanced schedule. By the time we get to conference play, we'll have some good volleyball behind us and in front of us with the MVC schedule. I'm looking forward to it," said Locke.
Two of the three preseason tournaments will be on the road, and will include at least one 2003 NCAA Tournament team, which Locke feels will be a benefit to her young team.
"We are playing two of the three tournaments on the road and I think that anytime you can win on the road, you're developing something good. Overcoming playing in a tough environment will allow us to understand what it takes to execute on our MVC opponents' courts. If we're going to get back to the conference tournament, we do have to win on the road," stated Locke.
We will be playing three teams in the tournaments that were in the NCAA Tournament last year. This will allow us to evaluate ourselves against past NCAA teams and that's where we need to get to. We're young enough that we can do something about preparing and becoming that kind of team later."
After opening the season on the road at Tulane's Trosclair Memorial Tournament in New Orleans, La., the Salukis will host Wyoming, Missouri-Kansas City (2002 Saluki Invitational Champion) and Eastern Illinois in the 2004 Saluki Invitational, in what should be a competitive tournament.
"It's going to be a tough challenge to win our tournament. We expect a competitive tournament and we want to play in-state teams and we'll have Eastern Illinois in the field," Locke added.
SIU opens the season at the Trosclair Memorial Tournament on September 3-4 and will host it's first game at Davies Gymnasium on Sept. 10 against Eastern Illinois at 7 p.m. at the Saluki Invitational. The Salukis open the MVC slate at home on Sept. 17 against 2003 regular season champion SMS at 7 p.m.
