Charleston, S.C.- Amir Khaledi's first season as the head coach will feature three matches against teams that reached postseason play, according to the 2011 Volleyball schedule released by the Athletics Department on Wednesday. The Bulldogs will host 13 games at McAlister Field House, including nine against Southern Conference competition.
"I feel very good about our season with the talented returnees who anchor the team," said Khaledi. "Our upperclassmen will be complimented with a great group of newcomers who will have an immediate impact to our season. I have always thought it was beneficial to play a tough non-conference schedule, and we certainly have that with this season's opponents."
The Citadel will compete in three in-season tournaments and 22 non-conference matches, beginning with a trip to Hampton University to open the 2011 slate. Taking place on Aug. 26-27, it marks the second straight season that the Bulldogs open play in a tournament format. Three days later the Bulldogs close out the month when they host the traditional Blue-White scrimmage.
After a trio of games on Sept. 2-3 at the South Carolina State University Tournament, which pits the Dogs against 2010 NCAA Tournament qualifiers South Carolina State and Alabama A&M, The Citadel will travel to North Carolina A&T to face the Aggies on Sept. 7. Following a six-day break in action, the Bulldogs officially open the home slate when they welcome Charleston Southern to McAlister Field House.
The Dogs return to the road for their third tournament, this time taking place at N.C. State, squaring off against competition that includes the host Wolfpack, Liberty and Towson University on Sept. 16-17. In their final warm-up before the start of Southern Conference play, The Citadel hosts Francis Marion on Sept. 20.
The Citadel opens Southern Conference action with three consecutive matches, beginning with a meeting against UNC Greensboro on Sept. 25. The homestand resumes on Sept. 30 when 2010 Southern Conference Tournament champion Georgia Southern comes to McAlister Field House. The Dogs follow with home matches against Davidson (Oct. 1) and South Carolina State (Oct. 4) before heading to the Upstate to square off with Wofford (Oct. 7) and Furman (Oct. 8).
October continues with a home contest against UNC Wilmington on Oct. 11 before a series of road games at Samford (Oct. 15) and Chattanooga (Oct. 16). Western Carolina will be featured in the annual "Dig Pink" game on Oct. 21, followed by a Sunday match with Appalachian State on Oct. 22. Two days later, The Citadel hosts Coastal Carolina to complete the non-conference portion of the schedule. The month closes with a series of road games at Georgia Southern (Oct. 29) and Davidson (Oct. 30).
November opens with three home contests featuring Furman (Nov. 4) and Wofford (Nov. 5). The Bulldogs close out the home portion of their schedule against intercity rival College of Charleston on Nov. 8 before heading to Elon for the final game of the regular season.
For more information on Bulldog Volleyball, visit the official website of The Citadel Athletics at www.CitadelSports.com.
2011 Citadel Volleyball Schedule
August: 26-27, Hampton University Tournament (Hampton, Va.); 30, Blue/White Scrimmage 6:00 pm.
September: 2-3, South Carolina State Tournament (Orangeburg, S.C.); 7, at N.C. A&T, 6:00 pm; 13, vs. Charleston Southern, 6:00 pm; 16-17, N.C. State University (Raleigh, N.C.); 20, vs. Francis Marion, 6:00 pm; 23, at College of Charleston*, 7:00 pm; 25, vs. UNC Greensboro*, 2:00 pm; 30, vs. Georgia Southern*, 6:00 pm.
October: 1, vs. Davidson*, 2:00 pm; 4, vs. South Carolina State, 6:00 pm; 7, at Wofford*, 6:00 pm; 8, at Furman*, 7:00 pm; 11, vs. UNC Wilmington, 6:00 pm; 15, at Samford*, 7:00 pm; 16, at Chattanooga*, 3:00 pm; 21, vs. Western Carolina* (Dig Pink Game), 6:00 pm; 22, vs. Appalachian State*, 6:00 pm; 25, vs. Coastal Carolina, 6:00 pm; 29, at Georgia Southern*, TBA; 30, at Davidson*, 2:00 pm.
November: 4, vs. Furman *, 6:00 pm; 5, vs. Wofford*, 4:00 pm; 8, vs. College of Charleston*, 6:00 pm; 13, at Elon*, 2:00 pm; 18-20, Southern Conference Tournament (Birmingham, Alabama).
Games in bold indicate home contests.
Games with an asterisk indicate Southern Conference games