By Layne Weitzel, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Tech volleyball has announced its schedule for the upcoming 2018 season.
2018 marks Tech's 44th season of volleyball and the first with the new coaching staff of Jeannette Waldo, Peter Green and Zach Weinberg. The trio signed eight newcomers in April to add to Tech's 10 returners.
"The coaching staff is very excited about our first season at Tech, and we believe this schedule will allow us to be pushed in the exact way we should, given the talented group we will have," said head coach Jeannette Waldo. "Our preseason schedule is very diverse, including a home tournament, a short ride away, a longer ride away and a trip to the opposite side of the U.S. With each match, we will face very different talent on the other side of the net, and we are ready for the challenge.
"We hope to have a great home crowd following to witness this new beginning of Tech volleyball. There is a lot to be excited about. Our wings are definitely up!"
Tech will open its season with four-straight tournaments, starting with the Hampton Inn Leatherneck Invitational hosted by Western Illinois. Tech will face Fairleigh Dickinson, Evansville and the host Leathernecks in Macomb, Illinois from August 24-25.
The Golden Eagles return to Cookeville the following week to host the Golden Eagle Invitational sponsored by Country Inn & Suites, welcoming Hampton, USC Upstate, New Orleans and East Carolina to the Hooper Eblen Center.
On September 4, Tech brings Chattanooga to Cookeville for a standalone match before heading back on the road for the Tiger Invitational at the University of Memphis. Tech faces North Alabama, Memphis and Louisiana-Monroe on September 7 and 8.
Tech will travel to the west coast for its final nonconference tournament in Seattle. Seattle University will host Tech, Montana State and Idaho State in the Redhawk Invitational, with Tech playing on September 14 and 15.
The Golden Eagles kick off conference play on the road in Kentucky, playing Eastern Kentucky and Morehead State on September 21 and 22. Tech's Ohio Valley Conference schedule alternates between home and away matches each week.
Tech will hold its OVC home opener on September 28 against Belmont and follow up on September 29 with a match versus Tennessee State.
Tech travels to Jacksonville State and Southeast Missouri during the first week of October, returning to Cookeville for matches with SIUE and Eastern Illinois on October 12 and 13.
The Golden Eagles again hit the road on the 19th and 20th for contests at Murray State and Austin Peay before ending the month in Cookeville with Morehead State and Eastern Kentucky.
Tech wraps up the regular season in November, first traveling to Nashville on the 2nd and 3rd to play Tennessee State and Belmont. Tech will have a short turnaround in its final two matches – the team will face Jacksonville State in Cookeville in a midweek match on November 7 (its only Wednesday contest all season) and ends regular-season play that Saturday, November 10, hosting UT Martin.
The OVC regular-season champion hosts the Ohio Valley Conference tournament from November 15-17. The winner receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, which begins November 30.
The full Tech volleyball schedule, along with match times, can be found on ttusports.com.
