2013 Schedule (HTML) | 2013 Schedule (PDF) | @GoCamelsVB
BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Campbell head coach Greg Goral released the 2013 volleyball schedule on Thursday that includes 13 home matches at Gore Arena/John W. Pope, Jr. Convocation Center. The Camels will compete in tournaments at William & Mary, Morehead State and James Madison before beginning Big South action.
"We are really excited to announce a really challenging 2013 schedule," said first-year head coach Goral. "As much as I wanted some competitive balance in the preseason, there are a number of matches that are going to test our team. I definitely wanted to see us battle opponents that are similar in style or a little bit stronger to see where the team falls as we prepare ourselves for a tough conference schedule."
The 31-match slate begins in Williamsbug, Va., on Aug. 30 against Northern Arizona before facing host William & Mary and San Jose State the next day. It is the second-consecutive campaign that Campbell has attended a tournament hosted by the Tribe.
Elon (Sept. 3) is the first of five mid-week tune ups during the campaign with the match being played on the road.
The Campbell Invitational kicks off the home schedule with a pair of matches on Sept. 6 against North Carolina Central and Indiana State. The four-team round-robin tournament wraps up the following day with the Camels taking on Georgetown.
On Sept. 10, in-state rival East Carolina comes to Buies Creek for a 7 p.m. tilt. The Camels topped the Pirates 3-2 last year in Greenville to open the season.
Campbell is next off to Morehead, Ky., on Sept. 13 to take on Hampton, West Virginia and Morehead State. Coach Goral spent the past five seasons as a part of Jamie Gordon's staff at Morehead State, helping the Eagles post a 121-42 record and the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2011.
"It is going to be a lot of fun to go back there," said Coach Goral. "The contest at Morehead State is the primetime match of the tournament with a 7 p.m. start on Saturday. Both teams are going to be ready to play and the match will be a battle."
Another in-state foe, UNC Wilmington, comes to Gore Arena on Sept. 18 for a Wednesday night bout.
The final preseason tournament has the Camels traveling to Harrisonburg, Va., to face a trio of challenging opponents in Wake Forest, host James Madison and Cleveland State. The Vikings made an appearance in the 2012 NCAA Tournament.
Before heading into the Big South slate, Campbell travels to Greensboro, N.C., on Sept. 27 to battle North Carolina A&T.
"I want to make sure that our team is ready to go heading into league play," said coach Goral. "Even though a lot of information can be gathered by watching opponents on video, there are still a lot of adjustments that I will have to make in facing conference foes for the first time."
The slate has the Camels facing Charleston Southern, Coastal Carolina, High Point, Liberty and Radford on the road and at the John W. Pope, Jr. Convocation Center. Single matches are played against Presbyterian, Winthrop, Gardner-Webb and UNC Asheville.
Campbell opens with three games on the road starting at league-rival High Point on Sept. 27. Charleston Southern and Coastal Carolina round out the road trip on Oct. 4-5.
A season-long six-match homestand runs from Oct. 11 through Oct. 25, where the Camels have an opportunity to get into a daily routine and rhythm. The Camels additionally wrap up the non-conference slate on Oct. 22 against South Carolina State.
"As we go through the season, we will continue to get better, stronger and more technically sound, while adding to our offense and defense," said coach Goral. "We want to be in a good position and firing on all cylinders when it comes to November."
After spending the first two weekends of the month on the road, Campbell wraps up the home slate on Nov. 15-16 against the Chanticleers and Bucs.
"I think it is great to end the year at home, we will have a great home-court advantage for those two important contests," said coach Goral. "It is definitely an opportunity to gain some momentum going into the conference tournament."
One of the major goals for the Camels going into the campaign is earning a spot in the eight-team Big South Championship that is set for Nov. 21-24 on the campus of Presbyterian College in Clinton, S.C.
Admission to all home events at Gore Arena/John W. Pope, Jr. Convocation Center is free and the times are subject to change. The schedule page at GoCamels.com will have the most-up-to-date information on match times and live events for home and away contests.
