NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (May 31, 2018) – Rutgers volleyball has unveiled its 33-match schedule for 2018, which includes 13 games against qualifiers for the 2017 NCAA Championships and 11 contests against programs ranked in the final AVCA Coaches Poll from last season.
 
All but one game against last season's NCAA Championships participants are a part of the 20-match Big Ten schedule, which begins on Sept. 19 on the road at Maryland. That conference slate also includes a trip to defending national champion Nebraska on Nov. 3 and a home-and-home series against Final Four qualifier Penn State over a four-day span, Oct. 17 and 20.
 
"Scheduling for the non-conference season is always tricky," said head coach CJ Werneke. "We want teams that will challenge us as we prepare for the Big Ten, and we also want the opportunity to gain confidence heading into the conference schedule. We have a schedule that addresses both of those factors. The Big Ten schedule speaks for itself. It's a great challenge and I'm looking forward to how we respond as a program."
 
The Scarlet Knights will host a non-conference tournament at the College Ave. Gym for the first time since 2016. RU welcomes 2017 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champions Howard, who went on to take a set against Penn State before falling 3-1 in the opening round of the NCAA Championships. Rutgers opens its invitational against the Bison on the morning of Sept. 7 before facing Tulane that evening, and Navy on the afternoon of Sept. 8.
 
Rutgers opens the season with its first trip to California since 2015, where they will enter Cal's Molten Classic on Aug. 24-25. RU's 2018 season opener is set for Aug. 24 against Colgate, followed by contests against the host Bears on Aug. 24 and Chicago State on Aug. 25.
 
RU will spend Labor Day in Eastern Pennsylvania for a split-site tournament at Lehigh and Lafayette. The Scarlet Knights take on Lehigh and Coppin State in Bethlehem on Aug. 31 and take the short trip to Easton on Sept. 1 for a doubleheader against Lafayette and Rider.
 
Tournament season concludes on Sept. 14-15 at UConn's Dog Pound Challenge, where Rutgers will take on the host Huskies, along with St. John's and Holy Cross before diving into conference play.
 
The Big Ten Conference, which has been widely regarded as the country's premier volleyball league, boasted eight NCAA Championships participants in 2017. Rutgers opens the conference schedule with four straight away from home, at Maryland (Sept. 19), Wisconsin (Sept. 22), Michigan (Sept. 28) and Michigan State (Sept. 29). Additional Big Ten road contests will take place at Indiana (Oct. 13), Penn State (Oct. 17), Iowa (Nov. 2), Nebraska (Nov. 3), Illinois (Nov. 9) and Northwestern (Nov. 10).
 
The match at Penn State on Oct. 17 is tentatively scheduled for a national television broadcast on Big Ten Network at either 6 or 8 p.m.
 
Rutgers' Big Ten home opener is on tap for Oct. 5 against Ohio State, followed by home matches against Maryland (Oct. 6) and Iowa (Oct. 10). The rest of the home conference schedule includes Penn State (Oct. 20), Purdue (Oct. 26), Indiana (Oct. 27), Michigan State (Nov. 14), Illinois (Nov. 17), Wisconsin (Nov. 23) and Minnesota (Nov. 24). The final four games of the season will all be played at College Ave. Gym.
 
The Big Ten will again forego a conference tournament, opting to keep an expanded regular season schedule as teams seek to improve strength of schedule and RPI numbers to aid their bids for an at-large selection to the NCAA Championships.
 
All game times are subject to change, especially games where home Rutgers football games are scheduled. Currently, home matches against Maryland on Oct. 6 and Illinois on Nov. 17 may be moved depending on time selections for Rutgers football games. Additionally, RU may have their schedule altered at Indiana on Oct. 13 due to a home football game for the Hoosiers.
 
If any of the football games are scheduled for a noon kickoff, the Saturday night volleyball games may be played as scheduled. Any other times would require a date change for volleyball. Stay tuned to ScarletKnights.com and @RUvball on Twitter for all schedule updates throughout the season.
 
 
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