April 6, 2012

ATHENS, Ohio - The Ohio University volleyball team has released its 2012 schedule. The slate features six NCAA Tournament teams among the first seven matches, two home tournaments and eight contests against Mid-American Conference foes.

The non-conference portion of the 2012 schedule features eight NCAA Tournament teams among the 12 matches. Ohio opens in Dayton, Aug. 24-26, against No. 6 Pepperdine, 2011 national runner-up Illinois and the host Flyers, another NCAA qualifier from last season.

The Bobcats will host two tournaments in the Convocation Center with the first one occurring Aug. 31-Sept. 2. Ohio will host No. 13 Kentucky, No. 24 Oregon and Western Carolina over three days in Athens. The following weekend, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference champion Niagara, Atlantic Sun runner-up Belmont and Montana State will be in town for a two-day event. Montana State is coached by former Ohio assistant Kyle Weindel.

Ohio will leave the state for the first time in Sept.13 when it closes the non-conference season with a trip to North Carolina. The Bobcats will tangle with UNC-Greensboro, NC State and the NCAA qualifying Tar Heels of UNC over a four-day stretch.

"This is probably one of the most difficult schedules Ohio Volleyball has ever endured," Head Coach Ryan Theissaid. "It will really test our very young team."

After matches at Bowling Green and Miami to start MAC play, home competition begins on Thur., Sept. 27 with a home match against Kent State. The Bobcats will host Eastern Michigan two days later in their first game against a MAC West foe. The `Cats stay at home the following weekend to host Akron and Buffalo, Oct. 5-6.

Ohio gets another four-match homestand starting Oct. 19 as Northern Illinois, Western Michigan, Miami and BG come to The Convo. The Green & White close with Kent State, Central Michigan, Buffalo and Akron on the road.

"The MAC is coming off its best season from top to bottom," Theis added. "I would expect another season of parity and a terrific race for the conference championship."

After the MAC regular-season schedule concludes, the Bobcats will enter tournament play. The 2012 MAC Tournament will be held at the SPIRE Sports Complex in Geneva, Ohio for the second year in a row. The `Cats will attempt to win their fourth tournament title in five years after losing to eventual MAC champion Central Michigan last season in the semifinals.

Following the MAC Tournament, Ohio will conclude the regular season against another top program. 2011 Big East runner-up Notre Dame will make the trek to southeastern Ohio for a match with the Bobcats on Fri. Nov. 23

The Green & White have qualified for the NCAA Tournament eight of the past nine years and have won a first round game on four occasions, including two of the last three seasons. Ohio's best postseason performance came in 2005 when it reached the Sweet 16. The MAC is coming off a banner season that saw a record four teams advance to the NCAA Tournament.

Date	Opponent / Event	Location	Time / Result
08/24/12	vs. No. 6 Pepperdine	Dayton, Ohio	4:30 p.m. ET
08/25/12	vs. No. 2 Illinois	Dayton, Ohio	5:00 p.m. ET
08/26/12	at Dayton	Dayton, Ohio	1:00 p.m. ET
08/31/12	vs. No. 13 Kentucky	Athens, Ohio	7:00 p.m. ET
09/01/12	vs. Western Carolina	Athens, Ohio	3:00 p.m. ET
09/02/12	vs. No. 24 Oregon	Athens, Ohio	3:00 p.m. ET
09/07/12	vs. Niagara	Athens, Ohio	12:00 p.m. ET
	vs. Belmont	Athens, Ohio	7:00 p.m. ET
09/08/12	vs. Montana State	Athens, Ohio	TBA
09/13/12	at UNC Greensboro	Greensboro, N.C.	7:00 p.m. ET
09/15/12	at North Carolina	Chapel Hill, N.C.	5:00 p.m. ET
09/16/12	at North Carolina State	Raleigh, N.C.	2:00 p.m. ET
09/21/12	at Bowling Green *	Bowling Green, Ohio	7:00 p.m. ET
09/22/12	at Miami (Oh) *	Oxford, Ohio	5:00 p.m. ET
09/27/12	vs. Kent State *	Athens, Ohio	7:00 p.m. ET
09/29/12	vs. Eastern Michigan *	Athens, Ohio	7:00 p.m. ET
10/05/12	vs. Akron *	Athens, Ohio	7:00 p.m. ET
10/06/12	vs. Buffalo *	Athens, Ohio	7:00 p.m. ET
10/12/12	at Toledo *	Toledo, Ohio	7:00 p.m. ET
10/13/12	at Ball State *	Muncie, Ind.	7:00 p.m. ET
10/19/12	vs. Northern Illinois *	Athens, Ohio	7:00 p.m. ET
10/20/12	vs. Western Michigan *	Athens, Ohio	7:00 p.m. ET
10/26/12	vs. Miami (Oh) *	Athens, Ohio	7:00 p.m. ET
10/27/12	vs. Bowling Green *	Athens, Ohio	7:00 p.m. ET
11/01/12	at Kent State *	Kent, Ohio	7:00 p.m. ET
11/03/12	at Central Michigan *	Mount Pleasant, Mich.	7:00 p.m. ET
11/09/12	at Buffalo *	Buffalo, N.Y.	7:00 p.m. ET
11/10/12	at Akron *	Akron, Ohio	5:00 p.m. ET
2012 MAC Volleyball Tournament
11/16/12	Quarterfinals	Geneva, Ohio	TBA
11/17/12	Semifinals	Geneva, Ohio	TBA
11/18/12	Championship	Geneva, Ohio	TBA
11/23/12	vs. Notre Dame	Athens, Ohio	7:00 p.m. ET