Aug. 24, 2006
Cullowhee, N.C. - The Western Carolina volleyball team will open up all fall competitions for Catamount Athletics this Friday, Aug. 25 as it begins play in the Magnolia Invitational, hosted by the Univ. of Mississippi in Oxford, Miss. The Catamounts will face the Univ. of Arkansas-Little Rock (UALR) on Friday morning at 9:30 am CT in the first of two matches on the opening day of the tournament at the Gillom Sports Center. (All match times listed are Central Time).
2006 Magnolia Invitational Schedule (Oxford, Miss.)
Also, WCU was tabbed 10th in the 2006 Southern Conference preseason volleyball poll released this week by the league office. Defending champion, the College of Charleston, was picked to win the conference, receiving eight of a possible 11 first-place votes from the league's head coaches. Furman was second in the voting, garnering a pair of first-place nods, while Appalachian State was third, tallying the final first-place vote.
2006 Southern Conference Preseason Poll & All-Conference Team
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Western faces the Trojans of UALR on Friday morning at 9:30 am in both the tournament and season-opener. A member of the Sun Belt conference, UALR returns three starters and a total of five letter winners from a squad that went 18-12 a year ago. The Catamounts' other match on Friday is against the host Rebels of Ole Miss at 2:30 pm CT. Mississippi went 7-22 last season, posting a 1-15 mark in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Rebels return four starters, including a libero, with a total of 11 returning letter winners.
On Saturday, Western wraps up tournament play by facing Southeast Missouri State (SEMO) at 9:30 am and playing again at 2:30 pm against the Pittsburgh Panthers. SEMO, a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) was 16-16 in 2005 and like WCU, returns five starters. Big East-member, Pitt, boasted a 17-13 overall record last season and returns a trio of starters from that squad.
All time, Western holds a 1-0 record over Ole Miss with the only other meeting coming in 1983, and the Catamounts are 0-1 lifetime versus Pittsburgh, dropping the only meeting in 2002. The meetings with UALR and SEMO mark the first-ever between the schools in volleyball.
Western is coming off a 9-25 season, the first for head coach Stephanie Dragan. Five of the six returning players from a year ago were a part of the starting lineup and are expected to contribute in a similar role this season. However, success this season will be largely determined by the influx of seven new freshmen into the system. Much like last season for the Cats when 11 of the first 12 matches were played on the road, the first 12 matches of the season will all be played away from Cullowhee in tournaments. WCU hopes, however, to improve upon last year's 0-7 start, but will again face tough opposition over the first three weeks of the season.
For more information on the 2006 Magnolia Invitational, log onto www.OleMissSports.com. Scores, statistics, and game recaps will be posted on CatamountSports.com as soon as game files and information becomes available both Friday and Saturday.
