WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL

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BUFFALO, NY - The University at Buffalo volleyball team and head coach Sally Kus have announced their schedule for the upcoming 2003 season. The Bulls will open the season on Labor Day Weekend by hosting the 12-team Western New York Tournament, along with Canisius and Niagara. The Bulls will host North Carolina State and Siena on Friday, August 29, and Boston College and Syracuse on Saturday, August 30.

"Our opening tournament, being coordinated with Canisius and Niagara, will have a good mix of teams and should allow us to evaluate where we are at following preseason and what we have to improve on before conference play begins," said Kus.

The Bulls will also participate in tournaments at Duke, Central Florida and Maryland Eastern Shore, and single matches at Canisius on Wednesday, October 1 and at Niagara on Wednesday, October 15 will close out the non-conference schedule.

"We're excited that we were invited to play at the Maryland Eastern Shore Tournament, and we're really going to test our limits at the Duke Tournament," said Kus. "All of our early-season tournaments are designed to get us ready for conference play."

Buffalo's Mid-American Conference slate will begin on the weekend of Friday, September 26 and Saturday, September 27 when the Bulls host Western Michigan and Eastern Michigan in Alumni Arena. The Bulls will also host Bowling Green, Ball State, Marshall, Kent State, Akron and Ohio during the MAC season and will travel to Miami (OH), Toledo, Akron, Central Michigan, Northern Illinois, Kent State, Marshall and Ohio. Ball State, the defending MAC Champion, will be at Alumni Arena on Sunday, October 19, and the Toledo Rockets will be looking to avenge their five-game loss to the Bulls last season, Buffalo's only win in the MAC and first conference victory since the 1999 season.

The 2003 season will mark the first time that all 13 MAC schools will qualify for the conference tournament, and first-round matches will take place on Tuesday, November 18 on the campus sites of seeds four through eight. Seeds one through three will receive a first-round tournament bye, and the quarterfinals, semifinals and final match will be hosted by Ball State in Muncie, IN on Friday, November 21, Saturday, November 22 and Sunday, November 23.

"We saw noticeable improvement last year and during the spring season, and the returning players and our newcomers alike are really looking forward to a great 2003 season," said Kus.

Click here to see the Bulls' complete 2003 schedule