University of Albany Release's 2008 Women's Volleyball Schedule

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

Albany, N.Y. – University at Albany Vice President and Director of Athletics Lee McElroy announced the school’s 2008 volleyball schedule on Wednesday, May 21. The Great Danes, who are the reigning America East Conference champions, will play a 28-match schedule, including two home tournaments.

UAlbany begins its 10th year at the Division I level on August 29 and 30 at the San Diego State Tournament, where the Great Danes will face the host Aztecs along with the University of San Diego and UC Irvine. UAlbany will host the first of two home tournaments on September 5 and 6, welcoming Buffalo, Wright State and Connecticut to University Gym.

The Great Danes will also make an appearance in the Kentucky Tournament, facing Eastern Kentucky, Indiana and the host Wildcats, an NCAA Tournament team one year ago. UAlbany will also compete at the Michigan Tournament, taking on Arizona State, Western Kentucky and the Wolverines. In the second home tournament of the season, UAlbany will host Dayton, a program coached by former Great Danes mentor Kelly Sheffield, along with Yale and Long Island, an NCAA participant last season.

UAlbany will kick off America East Conference play hosting Maine and New Hampshire on October 3 and 5, respectively. The Great Danes will travel to Stony Brook and Hartford for conference matches before hosting crosstown-rival Siena on October 15. UAlbany will host rival Binghamton on October 17, and will visit UMBC on October 24 before hosting the Retrievers on October 27.

The Great Danes will then embark on a three-match road trip to end October and start November, visiting New Hampshire (Oct. 31), Maine (Nov. 2) and Binghamton (Nov. 9) before closing out the conference regular season with home matches against Hartford (Nov. 14) and Stony Brook (Nov. 16).

UAlbany will look to make an appearance in its seventh consecutive America East Tournament, hosted at the highest seed on November 21-23. The Great Danes will play a final regular-season match at Temple on Nov. 29.

UAlbany, led by interim head coach MJ Engstrom, return all-conference honoree Kamisha Kellam and Amanda Cowdrey, the 2007 league rookie of the year. Kellam, a first-team member last season, averaged 3.24 kills and ranked in the conference’s top ten in hitting percentage (.327). Cowdrey paced the Great Danes a year ago, averaging a team-best 3.47 kills per game and finishing second with 3.32 digs per game. Also returning to the court is all-rookie team setter Brooke Stanley, who averaged 10.66 assists and recorded a team-high 58 service aces as a freshman.

-agate-

2008 UAlbany Volleyball Schedule

August: 29 (Fri.) vs. San Diego+ 4:00 p.m.; 30 (Sat.) at San Diego State+ 1:00 p.m.; vs. UC Irvine+ 4:00 p.m.

September: 5 (Fri.) Buffalo^ 7:00 p.m.; 6 (Sat.) Wright State^ 12:00 p.m.; Connecticut^ 7:00 p.m.; 12 (Fri.) vs. Eastern Kentucky< 5:00 p.m.; 13 (Sat.) vs. Indiana< 10:00 a.m.; at Kentucky< 7:00 p.m.; 19 (Fri.) vs. Arizona State$ 5:00 p.m.; 20 (Sat.) at Michigan$ 11:00 a.m.; vs. Western Kentucky$ 5:00 p.m.; 26 (Fri.) Yale^^ 7:00 p.m.; 27 (Sat.) Long Island^^ 10:00 a.m.; Dayton^^ 7:00 p.m.

October: 3 (Fri.) Maine* 7:00 p.m.; 5 (Sun.) New Hampshire* 2:00 p.m.; 10 (Fri.) at Stony Brook* 7:00 p.m.; 12 (Sat.) at Hartford* 6:00 p.m.; 15 (Wed.) Siena 7:00 p.m.; 17 (Fri.) Binghamton* 7:00 p.m.; 24 (Fri.) at UMBC* 7:00 p.m.; 26 (Sun.) UMBC* 2:00 p.m.; 31 (Fri.) at New Hampshire* 7:00 p.m.

November: 2 (Sun.) at Maine* 2:00 p.m.; 9 (Sun.) at Binghamton* 1:00 p.m.; 14 (Sat.) Hartford* 7:00 p.m.; 16 (Sun.) Stony Brook* 1:00 p.m.; 21-23 (Fri-Sun.) America East Conference Tournament; 29 (Sat.) at Temple 5:00 p.m.

* America East Conference opponent

+ San Diego State Tournament

^ UAlbany Tournament

< Kentucky Tournament

$ Michigan Tournament

^^ UAlbany Tournament