Rutgers Volleyball Starts Season at James Madison
Aug 24 | Women's Volleyball
PISCATAWAY, NJ - The Rutgers volleyball team will begin its 2006 season Friday and Saturday, Aug. 25-26, at the James Madison/Days Inn Tournament in Harrisonburg, VA.
The Scarlet Knights will face Duquesne at 11:30 a.m. and UNC-Asheville at 4:30 p.m. on the 25th, followed by contests against Canisius (2:00 p.m.) and the host Dukes (7:00 p.m.) on the 26th.
Rutgers returns six letterwinners and four starters from a 2005 team that posted an 11-16 overall record and a 6-8 mark in BIG EAST play under the direction of first-year head coach Orlando Gonzalez. RU was picked to finish 10th in the 2006 BIG EAST Preseason Coaches Poll.
Last season, the Scarlet Knights were led by Lora Yankauskas (Paramus, NJ), a 6-1 outside hitter/utility who ranked fourth in the BIG EAST in kills per game (4.22) and fifth in points per game (4.89) to earn second-team all-league honors. A selection to the 2006 Preseason All-BIG EAST Team, Yankauskas will serve as a team co-captain this fall with senior 5-8 libero Jocelyn Greenwald (Old Tappan, NJ), last year's team leader in digs per game (3.06).
RU will square off against Duquesne in its first match of the year. The Dukes were 15-13 overall and 5-8 in the Atlantic 10 Conference last year, finishing fourth in the league standings. Duquesne returns eight letterwinners and four starters from that team this fall. UNC-Asheville returns five letterwinners and two starters from a 2005 squad that registered a 25-7 overall record and a 10-4 mark to place second in the Big South Conference standings. Canisius was 9-17 overall and 3-6 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference a year ago, finishing seventh in the conference standings. The Golden Griffins return 11 letterwinners and all six starters from last year's lineup. James Madison returns 10 letterwinners and four starters from last year's 14-13 team. The Dukes placed sixth in the Colonial Athletic Association standings with an 8-10 record.
Rutges is 4-7 (.364) all time against Duquesne, 1-0 (1.000) against UNC-Asheville and 3-2 (.600) against James Madison. Friday's match will mark the first-ever meeting between the Scarlet Knights and the Golden Griffins.
The Scarlet Knights have previously played at an early-season tournament at JMU twice. In 2001 and 2003, Rutgers posted a 2-1 (.667) record at the event.
Rutgers will return to action Sept. 1-2 at the Temple Classic, facing Maine, Kansas and the host Owls.
