Charleston, S.C.- At the conclusion of a successful spring season, The Citadel volleyball program released their 2010 schedule on Wednesday. Head Coach Carolyn Geiger, who begins her fifth season at the helm of the Bulldogs, and The Citadel will host 10 games at McAlister Field House this season.
"I couldn't be more excited for this upcoming season," said Geiger. "We really get to reap the fruits of our labor and it will be so exciting to see our first recruiting class finish up as seniors. I have high expectations for this group, and they've earned that. I was pleased with the spring season, and considering the fact that we didn't lose anyone, and our entire group of juniors now has three years under their belts, I expect big things. We'll play a challenging schedule, but I'm a firm believer that tough competition makes you better as a player. Frontloading our schedule with top talent from around the country should really prepare us for a tough SoCon slate."
The Citadel will compete in four tournaments and 16 non-conference matches, beginning with a trip to Southern Illinois Edwardsville, where a pair of Bulldog players will have a chance to play in front of their home state crowds. The tournament, which takes places Aug. 27-28, will mark first-time meetings with Ball State, Southern Illinois Edwardsville and Indiana State. Three days later the Bulldogs close out the month when they face cross-town rival Charleston Southern on Aug. 31.
After a trio of games on Sept. 3-4 at the Mercer University Tournament, in which they face UT-Martin, Presbyterian and the host Bears, The Citadel will battle Savannah State in their home opener on Sept. 8.
"The girls deserve to be rewarded for their hard work by playing in front of their home-state crowds," added Geiger. "I've specifically designed the schedule for that by going to Mercer, so Blaine McAllister's friends and family can enjoy her talent. We're also excited to head to Southern Illinois Edwardsville for Shannon Frain and Emily Dalton to showcase their talent. It's also very nice for our girls to see new areas of the country that they otherwise wouldn't be exposed. These games are very valuable to our early season progression and we're very serious about going to those tournaments and winning."
The Dogs will head to their third tournament, this time at Coastal Carolina, squaring off against competition including Norfolk State, USC Upstate, Colorado State and the host Chanticleers on Sept. 10-11. In their final warm-up before the start of Southern Conference play, The Citadel will head to Orangeburg, S.C. for the South Carolina State Tournament on Sept. 17-18 where they meet Hampton, S.C. State and N.C. Central.
"Heading to Coastal Carolina to play this year is big for us," stated Geiger. "We'd love to renew that Highway 17 rivalry with the Chanticleers. They are a big time power out of the Big South Conference and we use them as a barometer for Mid-Major conference success. That tournament also poses the biggest challenge we'll see all season-Colorado State. The Rams are a Mountain West Conference school with a Top 20 finish last season. That is a huge test for us, but I think our military training at The Citadel won't let us back down."
The Citadel will host the College of Charleston in their conference-opener on Sept. 21 in McAlister Field House before hitting the road to take on Appalachian State on Sept. 25. Once leaving Boone, N.C. the Bulldogs will complete a three-match stretch over five days against South Carolina on Sept. 26 in Columbia, S.C.
"I am thrilled to be playing the Gamecocks this year," said Geiger about meeting the SEC club. "There is no better way to expose your program than to play one of the flagship schools in the state, and that's what we're doing."
The month of October opens with back-to-back road games against conference opponents Furman and Wofford. Georgia Southern kicks off a four-game home stretch for The Citadel on Oct. 9 followed by a Sunday match with Davidson on Oct. 10. The following weekend the Dogs will take on Chattanooga for the Dig Pink game on Oct. 16 and wrap-up the homestand against Samford on Oct. 17.
The slate continues with road contests at Elon and UNC Greensboro on Oct. 22 and Oct. 23, respectively, before returning home to McAlister Field House and facing Western Carolina on Oct. 30.
November opens with a trip to 2009 NCAA Tournament participant College of Charleston on Nov. 2. Following a two matches against Georgia Southern (Nov. 5) and Davidson (Nov. 6), the Bulldogs return home to close out the regular season.
A meeting with non-conference opponent South Carolina State on Nov. 10 begins a grueling three-match in four days span that includes meetings with Furman (Nov. 13) and Wofford (Nov. 14) at McAlister Field House.
For more information on Bulldog Volleyball, visit the official website of The Citadel Athletics at www.CitadelSports.com.