Women's Volleyball | 7/10/2019 12:00:00 PM
MIAMI SHORES, Fla. – Barry University head volleyball coach
Steve Hendricks has announced the team's 2019 schedule. The Buccaneers' regular season schedule includes 15 matches at home in the Health & Sports Center.
FULL SCHEDULE
Eight of the 16 teams currently on the schedule made the 2018 NCAA Tournament with four coming from the Sunshine State Conference – Tampa, Palm Beach Atlantic, Florida Southern and Saint Leo. Barry will also face three teams that made it to the 2018 NCAA DII National Championship in Pittsburgh, PA.
Hendricks, who enters his 9th season as head coach of the Bucs, is set to compete with a squad of 16 total players, including 12 returners and four newcomers. In 2018, the Bucs took home their seventh SSC championship in program history and finished the season with a 29-4 overall record. It was the program's best record since 2004 and the first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2010.
"The Colorado Premier Challenge is going to test our team right away when we will line up with some of the best competition in the country," Hendricks said. "The SSC will be tough again, as always. I think this is the toughest schedule we have ever put together during my tenure at BarryU. However, I also believe we have a roster that is set to compete every night as tough as the schedule is," Hendricks added.
For the second-straight year the Buccaneers will start their home schedule hosting the Barry University Classic in Miami Shores on September 6th-7th, kicking things off on day one against Saint Anselm. The Hawks made the tournament last year, but lost in five sets to New Haven.
Also during the first day of the BarryU Classic, the Bucs take on another 2018 tournament team in American International. The Yellow Jackets are coming off one of the most impressive seasons in program history. AIC appeared in their second ever NCAA Quarterfinals and had their season come to an end by eventual national champion Tampa.
Day two of the tournament consists of games against a pair of youthful teams that combined lost just one player to graduation last year. East Stroudsburg and Minnesota State each had their 2018 season end in the first round of their respective conference tournament.
Barry will then travel to Denver to play in the 2019 Colorado Premier Challenge on September 13th-14th which will include 11 of the top division two programs in the country. Eight-of-11 teams were ranked in the Top-25 last season and five were in the Top-10. Barry will be in pool one with Lewis and Central Missouri.
The Lewis Flyers are coming off a 29-8 season that included a Midwest Regional Championship, their 13th consecutive NCAA tournament bid and a trip to the National Championship. Lewis' streak of 13 consecutive NCAA trips is the longest of all women's volleyball teams in the Midwest Region.
Central Missouri made their first trip back to the NCAA Tournament last year since 2015 despite falling to Nebraska-Kearney for the third-straight season in the conference semifinals. The Jennies lost in straight sets to Minnesota Duluth in the first round of the tournament.
After pool play, matches won/lost will determine the seeding followed by games won divided by total games played. If ties still need to be determined, points won divided by total points scored will factor in or in the last-case scenario a coin flip will be used.
The 20-match SSC schedule begins Friday, September 20th on the road against Lynn. The Bucs end the SSC schedule with a home match against Florida Southern on Saturday, November 23rd.
A couple of key matches in the Health & Sports Center this season will be with 2018 NCAA DII National Champion Tampa on September 27th. The Buccaneers split the regular season series last year, beating UT on the road for the first time since October 2nd, 2004. However, the Spartans would get the best of the Bucs in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Barry will also host Palm Beach Atlantic (Nov. 19th), Florida Southern (Nov. 23rd) and Saint Leo (Sep. 28th).
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