The University of Akron Athletics
Two Home Tournaments Highlight 2012 Volleyball Schedule
May 18 | Women's Volleyball
AKRON, Ohio – A pair of home tournaments on back-to-back weekends in early September and an appearance in an invitational at SEC foe South Carolina during the opening weekend of the season highlight the 2012 University of Akron volleyball schedule, fifth-year head coach Ron Arenz announced on Friday.
"The goal of our non-conference schedule is to put the team in front of quality competition as we get our systems in place," Arenz said. "It's important that we solidify the group of players that will put us in the best position to win during conference play."
Click the video link below for additional remarks from Arenz about the schedule.
The Zips open the campaign with four matches over two days at the South Carolina Gamecock Invitational on Aug. 24 and 25. UA is scheduled to face UNC Asheville and event host South Carolina during the first day, and East Tennessee State and Big East opponent Temple on day two.
UA is at home the next two weekends, playing host to the Akron Invitational on Aug. 31-Sept. 1 and the Zips Invitational on Sept. 7-8. The Zips will take on Southeastern Louisiana (Aug. 31), Quinnipiac (Sept. 1) and Montana State (Sept. 1) in the Akron Invite, and SIU-Edwardsville (Sept. 7), Binghamton (Sept. 7) and Youngstown State (Sept. 8) in the Zips Invite. UA owns a 47-6 all-time record versus Northeast Ohio rival YSU, in a series that dates to 1974.
The squad will close out the non-league schedule at the Bryant Invitational on Sept. 14-15, with matchups against Holy Cross (Sept. 14), Bryant (Sept. 14), and Northern Kentucky (Sept. 15).
The Mid-American Conference schedule features four opponents that advanced to the NCAA Tournament a season ago, and begins with the Zips playing three of their first four at home. UA will welcome Buffalo to James A. Rhodes Arena on Sept. 20 and travels to Ball State on Sept. 22, before home matches with Bowling Green (Sept. 28) and Miami (Ohio) (Sept. 29). Ball State was an NCAA tourney participant in 2011 and competed in the league tournament semifinal.
Four-straight road outings face Akron next, as it visits Ohio on Oct. 5 and neighborhood rival Kent State on Oct. 6 for the first PNC Wagon Wheel Challenge meeting of the academic year. A swing to Western Michigan, another NCAA Tournament team last season, on Oct. 12 and Northern Illinois, the league's reigning regular-season champion and another school placed into the NCAA bracket in 2011, on Oct. 13 complete the road stretch.
A two-match homestand versus Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan on Oct. 19 and 20, respectively, precedes a visit to Buffalo (Oct. 25) and home date with Toledo (Oct. 27) to close out the month. CMU was MAC tournament champion last year and earned the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The stretch run of the season opens with a trip to Miami on Nov. 2 and Bowling Green on Nov. 3, and closes with a homestand against Kent State on Nov. 9 and Ohio on Nov. 10 for Senior Night at Rhodes Arena.
The MAC tournament runs Nov. 16-18 at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio.
2012 Akron Volleyball Schedule:
Fri., Aug. 24 – vs. UNC Asheville^
Fri., Aug. 24 – at South Carolina^
Sat. Aug. 25 – vs. East Tennessee State^
Sat., Aug. 25 – vs. Temple^
Fri., Aug. 31 – Southeastern Louisiana#
Sat., Sept. 1 – Quinnipiac#
Sat., Sept. 1 – Montana State#
Fri., Sept. 7 – SIU-Edwardsville&
Fri., Sept. 7 – Binghamton&
Sat., Sept. 8 – Youngstown State&
Fri., Sept. 14 – vs. Holy Cross%
Fri., Sept. 14 – at Bryant%
Sat., Sept. 15 – vs. Northern Kentucky%
Thu., Sept. 20 – Buffalo*
Sat., Sept. 22 – at Ball State*
Fri., Sept. 28 – Bowling Green*
Sat., Sept. 29 – Miami (Ohio)*
Fri., Oct. 5 – at Ohio*
Sat., Oct. 6 – at Kent State*
Fri., Oct. 12 – at Western Michigan*
Sat., Oct. 13 – at Northern Illinois*
Fri., Oct. 19 – Eastern Michigan*
Sat., Oct. 20 – Central Michigan*
Thu., Oct. 25 – at Buffalo*
Sat., Oct. 27 – Toledo*
Fri., Nov. 2 – at Miami (Ohio)*
Sat., Nov. 3 – at Bowling Green*
Fri., Nov. 9 – Kent State*
Sat., Nov. 10 – Ohio*
Fri.-Sun., Nov. 16-18 – MAC Tournament (Geneva, Ohio – SPIRE Institute)
^ - South Carolina Gamecock Invitational
# - Akron Invitational
& - Zips Invitational
% - Bryant Invitational
* - Mid-American Conference match
