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2008 Volleyball Schedule Unveiled
CHICAGO With practice beginning on Saturday, DePaul head volleyball coach Amy Hardison unveiled the team's 2008 slate. The Blue Demons are scheduled to play 13 home matches and four teams that participated in the NCAA Tournament. "I am very excited about our schedule this season," Hardison said. "The BIG EAST Conference schedule is always challenging, however our tournament slate should prepare us for anything we would face during conference play." The Blue Demons open the season with the annual Chicagoland Classic, Aug. 29-30. DePaul is paired with tournament host Loyola-Chicago in the first round and plays either Northwestern, the first of two Big Ten teams on schedule, or UIC on the second day. DePaul travels across the country to California to tangle with NCAA Tournament participant and invitational host Cal, James Madison and Cal-Riverside at the Golden Bear Invitational Sept. 5-6. The following weekend the Blue Demons return to Lincoln Park and make their McGrath Arena debut on Sept 12-13, hosting the DePaul Invitational. The Blue Demons welcome Denver, Ball State and UTSA for a two-day, six-match classic. DePaul's final tournament takes the squad to Iowa City for the Hawkeye/Holiday Inn Challenge Sept. 19-20. The Blue Demons are set to square off with Tulsa, Portland and host Iowa. DePaul closes out September with a non-conference home match with Northern Illinois on Sept. 23 before hitting the road with BIG EAST matches at Georgetown and USF on Sept. 26 and 28, respectively. The Blue Demons square off against seven conference foes in the month of October. They begin the month by traveling to perennial conference powers Cincinnati and 2007 BIG EAST Regular Season Champion Louisville on Oct. 3 and Oct. 5, respectively. The following weekend the squad returns to Chicago for a three-match BIG EAST home stand welcoming Pittsburgh and West Virginia the weekend of Oct. 11. The Irish invade McGrath Arena for a midweek match on Oct. 16, while the month closes out with road matches at Chicago State on 21st, Seton Hall on the 25th and Villanova on the 26th. The Blue Demons take just one road trip in the month November while they are at home for matches. Marquette and Syracuse visit Lincoln Park the weekend of Nov. 1 while Valparaiso comes to town on Nov. 4. DePaul's final away contest is slated for Nov. 7 at Rutgers. Non-conference and interstate rival Bradley is scheduled for a Nov. 11 at McGrath Arena before the team's final two BIG EAST matches later that weekend. Connecticut and St. John's close out the regular season slate with matches on Nov. 14 and 16, respectively. The BIG EAST Championship is scheduled for Nov. 20-22 at Pittsburgh. The league's top eight team's compete for the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Blue Demons' young roster includes nine underclassmen, three juniors and only one senior in outside hitter Caitlin Callaghan. DePaul's top offensive producers in Jacie Fiedler and Christy Landschoot return for their sophomore campaigns. Fiedler a middle blocker, led the Blue Demos with a .307 attack percentage and averaged 3.37 kills per game. Landschoot the team's setter averaged 11.35 assists per game and was second on the squad with a .235 attack percentage.
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