UNC Asheville Volleyball To Open Season at Florida State Invitational

Tournament Notes in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

TALLAHASSEE, FLA. - The UNC Asheville volleyball team opens the 2007 season against a strong field in the Florida State Invitational this Friday and Saturday. The Bulldogs begin play in the four-team tourney on Friday against Texas Christian University of the Mountain West Conference at Noon.

The Bulldogs play two matches on Saturday. They'll take on Florida State at 10 a.m. before battling Florida Gulf Coast at 2 p.m. The Florida State match can be seen live by pay per view on PlayonSports.tv.

The tournament will be a tough one for UNC Asheville. Texas Christian went 17-15 last season, while FSU finished with a 19-12 overall record and 13-9 mark in the ACC. Florida Gulf Coast was 26-1 a year ago in Division II.

Bulldog coach Julie Torbett knows her team will have some tough challenges this weekend.

"It is a very strong tournament to open the season," commented Torbett. "This should be a good learning experience as we try to find out where we are at this point of the season. Our workouts have been good, and we're ready to play some competition."

Torbett admits UNC Asheville doesn't have a set line-up yet but that's OK.

"Usually we know what kind of line-up we want to start out with but this year we're still trying to figure things out," explained Torbett. "We have 12 players who can play and have depth that we've never had before. It is a good problem to have because anywhere we turn we have someone who can step in and do the job."

The Bulldogs are a preseason pick to finish in third place this year in the Big South Conference. UNC Asheville placed two players on the league's preseason all-conference team. They are sophomore libero Raquel Miotto and sophomore blocker Lauren Ficker. Senior blocker Ashley Wrightenberry should compete for all-conference honors this season as she led the Bulldogs in blocks last season.

"I like our team," added Torbett. "We don't have a superstar like Elif Unlu but we do have a bunch of good and players in every position."

The Bulldogs host the UNC Asheville Volleyball Classic next weekend at Justice Center. Torbett's club hosts Western Carolina on Friday, Aug. 31 at 7 p.m. in the home opener.