Wake Forest Athletics
Wake Forest Announces 2008 Volleyball Schedule
6/2/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
June 2, 2008
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The Wake Forest volleyball team has announced its schedule for the upcoming 2008 season. Led by fourth-year head coach Heather Kahl Holmes, the Demon Deacons will participate in four invitational tournaments, including two at the friendly confines of Reynolds Gymnasium.
Wake Forest will face three teams that won their respective conference championship in 2007 and four that played in last season's NCAA Tournament.
Wake Forest will also face a newly-modified 20-match Atlantic Coast Conference schedule in 2008. The ACC scaled back the number of regular season matches from 22 (which was used from 2005-07) to 20 starting in 2008.
Kahl Holmes and the Deacons open the season Aug. 29-30 with the Deacon Invitational. Wake Forest has not hosted the Deacon Invitational since 2004. The Deacs will welcome in Davidson, Norfolk State and Winthrop. Wake will open the season on Friday, Aug. 29, against Davidson and then face Norfolk State and Winthrop the following day.
The Deacons last met Davidson and Winthrop at the 2006 Black & Gold Challenge. Wake Forest will be meeting Norfolk State for the first time ever in 2008.
Wake Forest will hit the road on the second weekend of the season to play in the Adidas Classic hosted by Indiana Sept. 5-6 in Bloomington, Ind. Wake will face Louisville and IU on Friday, Sept. 5, before playing Valparaiso on Saturday, Sept. 6.
The Deacons have not faced Valparaiso since 1996, the year Wake Forest re-instated the volleyball program. Wake last faced Indiana in 2006 and Louisville in 2005. Louisville won the 2007 Big East regular season title and was a participant in the NCAA Tournament.
Wake Forest returns home to host the Black & Gold Challenge Sept. 12-13. Delaware, East Carolina and Western Michigan will visit Winston-Salem to participate in the four-team invitational held at Reynolds Gym. The Deacons begin the weekend with Western Michigan on Friday, Sept. 12, and then face East Carolina and Delaware the following day.
Wake Forest and East Carolina have met 20 times previously, but the intra-state rivals have not played each other since 2001. Wake last met Western Michigan in 2002, and the Deacs have not played Delaware since 1984.
The competition at the Black & Gold Challenge should prove to be a strong test for the Deacs. Western Michigan is coming off a 2007 campaign that saw the Broncos claim their first Mid-American Conference West Division title since 2000. Delaware won the 2007 Colonial Athletic Association title. In the 2007 NCAA Tournament, the Blue Hens defeated Princeton in the first round before falling in a closely-contested bout with No. 17 St. John's in the round of 32.
The Deacons wrap up non-conference play at the Appalachian Invitational Sept. 19-20 in Boone, N.C. Wake Forest opens the tournament against host Appalachian State. The Deacs will then face Charlotte and North Carolina A&T the following day.
Wake Forest and Appalachian State 12-10 have not met since 1999. The Deacs last played Charlotte in 2000 and North Carolina A&T in 2003.
Wake Forest opens conference play on Sept. 25 against Florida State. The match is one of five straight home contests for the Deacons. During the stretch, Wake will host Miami (Sept. 26), Duke (Sept. 30), NC State (Oct. 3) and North Carolina (Oct. 4).
The Deacons will hit the road for four consecutive matches starting with Clemson on Oct. 10. The Tigers are the defending ACC champion and ended the 2007 ranked No. 22 in the country. Wake will also be at Georgia Tech (Oct. 11), Virginia Tech (Oct. 17) and Virginia (Oct. 19) on the October road swing.
Wake Forest hosts Boston College on Oct. 24 and Maryland on Oct. 25. The Deacs will not make a return trip to Chestnut Hill or College Park, as part of the ACC's shortened schedule in 2008.
The Deacons will head south to face Florida State on Oct. 31 and Miami on Nov. 2, before returning home to host Georgia Tech on Nov. 7 and Clemson on Nov. 8.
Wake travels in-state to face NC State on Nov. 12 and North Carolina on November 16.
The Deacs will wrap up the home portion of their schedule the next weekend. Wake Forest will host Virginia Tech on Nov. 20 and Virginia for Senior Day on Nov. 21.
Wake Forest closes out the regular season at in-state rival Duke on November 26. The Blue Devils are coming off their third straight trip to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season.
The NCAA Tournament First and Second Rounds are set for Dec. 5-6 with Regionals scheduled for Dec. 12-13. The NCAA Final Four is slated for Dec. 18-20 in Omaha, Neb. The ACC's automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament will go to the team with the best regular season record in conference play.
Kahl Holmes welcomes back nine letterwinners, including five starters and the libero, from last season.
