Troy University Athletics
Photo by: Cass Davis
Troy Volleyball Releases 2012 Schedule
5/23/2012 3:19:00 PM | Volleyball
Full Schedule
TROY, Ala. – The Troy volleyball program and head coach Sonny Kirkpatrick released the squad's 2012 schedule on Wednesday as the Trojans look to build on last year's success.
The Trojans open their season in Athens, Ga., as they visit the Ramsey Center on the University of Georgia's campus for a four-match tournament. Troy opens play on Friday, August 24, against future Sun Belt member Georgia State before taking on the Serbian National Team in an exhibition match.
The Trojans take on Georgia on Saturday and Georgia Southern on Sunday before returning to Troy for their home opener on Tuesday, August 28, as Auburn visits for a 7:00 p.m. match.
“Our home opener against Auburn is a really big match for us,” said Kirkpatrick. “We always battle them pretty well, and with that being the first home match, it will help set the tempo for our season.”
Troy's two matches against SEC opponents in the first week of the season don't end the tough slate as the Trojans return to the road for three straight weekends of tournament play. Troy will take part in tournaments at UT-Martin, Kennesaw State and Alabama State. Included in the stretch of 10 straight road matches is a contest with Big East opponent DePaul.
“We scheduled some SEC teams early in the year to get ourselves moving in the right direction,” said Kirkpatrick. “We look to try to improve on our standing in the Sun Belt from last year and we had a really good spring to keep us going in that direction and we can't wait to begin play in 2012.”
Before the Trojans can dive into Sun Belt play, they will host one final home, non-conference match as Florida A&M visits Troy on Tuesday, September 18, at 6:00 p.m.
Troy opens Sun Belt play on the road with a tough test right from the start. The Trojans first league game comes at WKU, last season's regular season and tournament champion, on Friday, September 21. Troy also travels to Middle Tennessee that weekend before returning home.
Troy opens home Sun Belt play with another tough team, FIU, on Friday, September 28, at 7:00 p.m., before hosting Florida Atlantic at 5:00 p.m. the very next day, September 29.
The Trojans also host North Texas, ULM, South Alabama, Louisiana-Lafayette, WKU and Middle Tennessee in Sun Belt play, giving Troy eight total home matches in league play. Saturday, November 3, will mark Senior Night as Troy hosts Middle Tennessee at 7:00 p.m. in the final home contest of the season.
With the departure of Denver, the Trojans' Sun Belt East Division has six teams while the West Division has just five, giving Troy an uneven 15 Sun Belt matches. Fortunately, the Trojans came out on the good end with eight home league matches and seven road matches.
In addition to traveling to WKU and Middle Tennessee, the Trojans travel to Arkansas State, UALR, South Alabama, FIU and Florida Atlantic. The Trojans conclude their regular season in Boca Raton, Fla., on Saturday, November 10.
Mixed into Troy's Sun Belt schedule is a single non-conference match on the road as the Trojans visit Florida A&M on Tuesday, October 23.
For more information on Troy Athletics, be sure to visit TroyTrojans.com. Fans can also find Troy on Twitter at @TroyAthletics or on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/TroyAthletics.
Players Postmatch Press Conference - Southern Miss (Saturday)
Saturday, November 08
Josh Lauer Postmatch Press Conference - Southern Miss (Saturday)
Saturday, November 08
Ella Broadhead Postmatch Press Conference - Southern Miss (Friday)
Friday, November 07
Josh Lauer Postmatch Press Conference - Southern Miss (Friday)
Friday, November 07