Women's Volleyball 9/3/2013 3:38:00 PM Tyler Madsen, AMR Assistant Director

Volleyball Notes: #16 Bulldogs Open Season at GVSU Classic

(#16 AVCA) Truman Volleyball Weekly Notes (Matches 1-4)
Truman at Riverfront Hotel Grand Rapids Classic (Hosted by Grand Valley State)

Match 1:
#16 Truman (27-7 record in 2012) vs. #6 Southwest Minnesota State (30-3 in 2012)
Date: Friday, September 6 (10:00 AM CDT)
Live Stats: None Available
Series Record: SMSU leads, 2-0
Last Meeting: SMSU won, 3-0, on Nov. 29, 2012 (St. Paul, Minn.; NCAA first-round)

Match 2:
#16 Truman vs. Saint Leo (Fla.) (12-16 in 2012)
Date: Friday, September 6 (2:00 PM CDT)
Live Stats: None Available
Series Record: First Meeting

Match 3:
#16 Truman vs. #RV Eckerd (Fla.) (21-10 in 2012)
Date: Saturday, September 7 (9:00 AM CDT)
Live Stats: None Available
Series Record: First Meeting

Match 4:
#16 Truman vs. Adelphi (N.Y.) (25-12 in 2012)
Date: Saturday, September 7 (3:00 PM CDT)
Live Stats: None Available
Series Record: First Meeting

Additional Notes: PDF (Full) Version
Social Media: @TrumanAthletics || @TrumanVB || #TSUGameDay

Opening Serve:
For the 41^st time in school history, the No. 16 Truman volleyball team will take the floor for a season-opener, beginning this Friday and Saturday with four matches at the GVSU Riverfront Hotel Grand Rapids Classic in Allendale, Michigan.

The Bulldogs, coming off a 27-7 season in 2012, return five starters and 10 letterwinners for the program's inaugural season in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. Before getting to conference play two weeks from now, however, the Bulldogs will tackle one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the nation. Eight of the team's 10 scheduled non-conference matches during the regular season will be against teams either ranked or receiving votes in the AVCA preseason top-25 coaches' poll.

Kicking off the slate is a match the Bulldogs have had circled since Nov. 29, 2012, when Southwest Minnesota State halted the Truman season with a 3-0 win in the opening round of the NCAA Central regional. The Mustangs, ranked sixth in the nation, are the Bulldogs' first opponent of 2013, getting the season underway at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 6.

From there, the Bulldogs will take on three opponents for the first time in program history, beginning with Friday's nightcap against Saint Leo (Fla.). Truman then faces Eckerd (Fla.) College, a squad picked second in the Sunshine State Conference preseason poll and received votes in the AVCA top-25 at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday. The Bulldogs then close the event later that afternoon against Adelphi (N.Y.).

Truman enters the weekend as one of two Great Lakes Valley Conference programs ranked in the top-25, sitting at No. 16 in the preseason poll. The Bulldogs were also picked by league coaches to win the West Division of league action.

Following the Bulldogs:
Full coverage of Truman volleyball is available online at TrumanBulldogs.com, including results, upcoming match information and weekly updates.

When available, links to free online live stats are added to the Bulldog volleyball schedule page as well as the top of each weekly update.

Keep up with the Bulldogs by tracking in-match updates (when available). Follow Truman Athletics on Twitter (@TrumanAthletics). Also be sure to sign up for Text Caster and Newsletter updates on the TrumanBulldogs.com homepage.

'Dogs Returning Experienced – and Accomplished – Squad:
Truman will send out five returning all-MIAA performers for the 2013 season, including first-team junior OH Allie Brak and conference freshman of the year, sophomore OPP Abby Heise. Junior setter Meghan Zimmerman, junior libero Abby Moser and sophomore middle hitter Ali Patterson also return looking for consecutive all-league accolades.

Briney Nearing Century Mark:
With four more wins, head coach Ben Briney will become just the fourth coach in Truman volleyball history to reach 100 career victories on the sideline. His .696 winning percentage entering the season is third-best all-time, with the coach having totaled 233 total wins (.785 winning percentage) at Truman spanning his four seasons as an assistant before taking over as the head coach in 2009.

Eyeing the Career Charts:
Two junior specialists have the opportunity to move up the career charts this weekend, as junior setter Meghan Zimmerman needs 112 total assists to tie Kylie Easlon (2,050; 2008-2011) for 8^th all-time in total assists. Meanwhile, junior libero Abby Moser needs 60 digs to reach Truman's all-time top-ten in that career category, as she would surpass Janelle Zehr (1,304; 1997-2000).

Moser is currently the program's all-time digs-per-set leader at 4.83, more than three-tenths of a dig ahead of Casey Bruno (4.50; 2007-2010) in second-place.

New Year, New Duty:
Last season, sophomore Ali Patterson was one of the MIAA's top outside hitters, evidenced by her honorable mention recognition by conference coaches. However, Patterson will shift to the middle hitter spot in 2013, helping shore up a position that lost two starters – including the program's first ever four-time all-American as well as a two-time all-league recipient – from last year's team.

However, those two middles will still be visible to the Bulldog community, as Megan Sharpe and Emily Briseno trade in jerseys for clipboards in their transition to student assistant coaching spots.

New League Awaits Truman in 2013:
Despite moving out of arguably the toughest region in the nation, the Truman volleyball team will continue to have its hands full as part of its new league when the 2013 season kicks off this weekend.

The Bulldogs, as part of a department-wide transition, will begin play as Great Lakes Valley Conference members this fall, after Truman broke off a 100+ year relationship with the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association on June 30. Truman volleyball will compete in the West division of the GLVC, placing them with the six other Missouri programs (Missouri-St. Louis, Maryville, Rockhurst, William Jewell, Missouri S&T, and Drury) and Quincy as part of the eight-team division.

Truman will play all East division teams (Lewis, Wisconsin-Parkside, Illinois-Springfield, McKendree, Southern Indiana, Bellarmine, Indianapolis and Saint Joseph's), along with Rockhurst, William Jewell, Missouri S&T and Drury once each, while taking on UMSL, Maryville and Quincy both home-and-home for a total of 18 league matches.

The Bulldogs have history with all but one of the 15 new programs that make up the GLVC, as only St. Joseph's (Ind.) College will be a new conference opponent on the docket in 2013. Truman has played 112 combined total matches (68-44 record) against local rivals Quincy and Missouri-St. Louis but has amassed a 52-8-1 record in 61 total contests against the other GLVC programs.

Last season, the Bulldogs went a perfect 5-0 overall against GLVC opponents, dropping just three sets en route to a 15-3 mark. Truman swept McKendree and held off Missouri-St. Louis in four sets as part of the 2012 Days Inn Bulldog Invitational to open the season before sweeping Maryville the following weekend in Kearney, Nebraska.

The Bulldogs also will now compete in the Midwest region, with the GLVC, GLIAC and Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) combining to compete for regional bids. Both the GLVC and GLIAC receive an automatic berth for its conference champion, while the GMAC will not for the next two seasons due to its NCAA-II provisional status. The top overall seed, as selected by the Regional Advisory Committee, will host the three-day tournament, beginning on Thursday, December 5.

Up Next:
The challenging non-conference season continues with weekend number two of the 2013 season, as the Bulldogs travel to the Colorado Premier Challenge next Friday and Saturday in Denver, Colorado. Twelve of the nation's top teams will be in attendance, with Truman set to face Florida Southern (receiving votes) and six-time defending national champion Concordia-St. Paul (preseason No. 1) on Friday at Metro State. Pool play based on Friday's results commences Saturday at either Regis or Metro State.

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