Aug. 30, 2007

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The Wake Forest volleyball team opens its 2007 season on Friday at the Best Western/Sycamore Inn Classic hosted by Miami (Ohio) University. The Demon Deacons will take on Pittsburgh in the tournament opener at 7 p.m.

On Saturday, Wake will play Miami (Ohio) at noon and Michigan at 5 p.m. All times are EDT.

Of its three opponents, Wake Forest has only faced Miami before. The RedHawks defeated the Deacons in five games on Nov. 29, 2003, in Winston-Salem. This will be Wake's first-ever trip to Oxford, Ohio.

The Deacs are 8-2 in their last 10 season-opening matches but have lost each of the past two. Wake Forest is 18-9 all-time in its 27 season-opening matches since 1971.

Last season, Wake opened its season at the Coors Invitational in Fort Collins, Colo. The Deacons went 2-1 to finish second in the tournament. Their only loss came on Friday evening to tournament host Colorado State.

The last time Wake Forest won a season-opening tournament came in 2004 when the Deacs swept Connecticut, Marshall and South Carolina in the Deacon Invitational.

Wake Forest returns 11 letterwinners, including four starters, from last season's squad that finished 14-17 overall and 10-12 in the ACC. Senior Jackie Lucas, juniors Jessica Furlong and Natalie Mullikin and sophomore Dylan Faulkner return after starting for the Deacons in 2006.

Wake is back in action the following weekend when its hosts the annual Black & Gold Challenge Sept. 14-15. The Deacs welcome in Dayton, Jacksonville and Radford to Reynolds Gymnasium.