June 6, 2011
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IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa volleyball team will open the 2011 season Aug. 26 with the first of two home tournaments on Mediacom Court inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Head coach Sharon Dingman and the UI Department of Athletics released the upcoming schedule today.
The 32-match schedule includes 16 home dates and 16 contests against 2010 NCAA Tournament teams, including a pair of matches against four-time defending champion Penn State.
Iowa opens the season with the first of two Hawkeye Challenges when Central Michigan, Saint Louis and Marquette visit Iowa City Aug. 26-27. The Hawkeyes then travel to Ames, Iowa, for the Iowa State Challenge before returning home Sept. 9-10 to host Chicago State, Loyola Chicago and Oakland.
The Hawkeyes conclude their 12-match preseason schedule with a trip to New York City. Iowa will face Columbia, St. John’s and Binghamton at the Columbia Invitational Sept. 16-17 on the campus of Columbia University.
The Hawkeyes open the conference season Sept. 23-24 at home against Ohio State and Penn State. Big Ten newcomer and perennial volleyball powerhouse Nebraska appears on the schedule Wednesday, Oct. 19. The contest will mark the Hawkeyes first appearance in Lincoln since 1996. Iowa later hosts the Cornhuskers Tuesday, Nov. 22, inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Iowa concludes its 20-match conference season Nov. 26 at Illinois. It is the only regular season matchup between the two programs. The Hawkeyes also have just one match versus Northwestern, an Oct. 22 date inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. All nine remaining Big Ten opponents are scheduled for a home-and-home series.
The first round of the NCAA Tournament starts Dec. 1 at campus sites to be determined. The NCAA Regionals begin Dec. 9 and the NCAA Championships in San Antonio, Texas, start Dec. 15.
Iowa’s televised matches will be announced later this summer.
The Hawkeyes return six starters and 10-of-11 letterwinners from last year’s squad. The 2011 season marks the first time since 2006 Iowa will host a pair of preseason tournaments. Iowa has ranked inside the top 30 in national attendance in each of the past two seasons and has set school season attendance records in two of Dingman’s three seasons at the helm of the program.
Call the UI Ticket Office at 800-IA-HAWKS for ticket information.
To view the entire 2011 schedule click HERE.