THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — The 2018 Cal Lutheran women's volleyball schedule has been released and is highlighted by three tournaments, including the 11th Annual Cal Lu Fornia Invitational and then eight additional home matches.
This season is nothing out of the ordinary for the Regals as they take on six teams that finished 2017 in the top-25 of the final American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) rankings.
"We are playing a lot tough teams, in and out of region," said head volleyball coach Kellee Roesel. "We are not afraid of any team and were are going to put together a tough schedule. We are competitive and will battle, which is what you want, because there is no place to hide in this schedule."
The Regals compete in three tournaments over three straight weekends to begin their 2018 campaign. CLU starts the season at the Pacific Coast Classic, Aug. 31-Sept. 1, they host the Cal Lu Fornia Friday and Saturday, Sept. 7-8 and then go to the East-West Division III Challenge, Sept. 14-15.
The tournaments feature top competition and the Regals will be put to the test immediately. Cal Lutheran takes on Johnson & Wales and Carthage to start 2018. JWU made it to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament and finished the season ranked No. 6 in the final poll. Carthage went to the Sweet 16 and finished No. 14.
The Regals make their home debut when they host the Cal Lu Fornia. CLU takes on Hardin Simmons, Puget Sound, Mary Hardin Baylor and Clarkson.
"A lot of strong teams are coming to our tournament," said Roesel. "It will be an extreme challenge for my young group. I am also excited to play some of my best friends, which coach some of the toughest teams in the nation."
SCIAC play will be a grind this year. The conference includes two of the past three NCAA champions in the Regals and the Athenas of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. Cal Lutheran plays 16 conference games, with eight at home and eight on the road.
The first home conference match is Sept. 12, as Cal Lutheran welcomes La Verne to Gilbert Arena at 7 p.m. The game is a rematch of the SCIAC semifinals from last year. The next big conference contest will be on the road as CLU travels to CMS on Oct. 4 to take on the defending champions. The game starts tough stretch as the Regals then take La Verne, Oct. 9, and then host CMS, Oct. 12, at 7 p.m.
CLU ends the regular season with Pomona-Pitzer. The Regals host the Sagehens, Oct. 26, for Senior Night. The top four teams in the conference then advance to the SCIAC Tournament, which is Nov. 1-3.
"We have had a tremendous spring and look to hit the ground running," said Roesel. "I just want our girls to love every day and every challenge. We will be competitive and battle, those are the two guarantees."
The season gets underway Friday, Aug. 31, as Cal Lutheran competes at the Pacific Coast Challenge.
Schedule: 2018 Regals Volleyball Schedule
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Release by Ryan Jorgenson, Sports Information Director