Sept. 2, 2004

The Dukes volleyball team opens the 2004 slate this Friday and Saturday as co-host to the Duquesne/Robert Morris Invitational at the A.J. Palumbo Center. The Red & Blue begin play at 11:00 am hosting Georgia State in the first-ever meeting between the squads. The Lady Panthers went 26-7 last year and placed second in the Atlantic Sun Conference. It is a mutual season-opener for the teams. After a 3:00 pm match between George State and Seton Hall, the Dukes will face the Pirates in the night cap at 7:00 pm at the Palumbo Center. It is just the second meeting for the teams as they first met in 1990 with SHU being victorious. The Pirates open their slate this weekend as well and hope to build upon their success after going 20-13 last season. Saturday, the Dukes will face Eastern Kentucky, whom they lost to in their only other meeting during the 1990 campaign. The Colonels opened their schedule Sept. 1 falling 3-0 at Kentucky. Duquesne ends the weekend facing Akron, who owns a 6-3 lead in the all-time series with the Dukes. The Zips went 17-13 last season and placed 2nd in the East in the MAC. Duquesne returns five starters from last season's 13-17 squad led by All-Conference performer Diana Wuebker, who led DU with 1.06 blocks per game, which ranked fourth in the Atlantic 10. Head Coach Steve Opperman enters his seventh season at the helm of the Dukes - the longest tenure with the program. He is one win away from No. 200 on his career entering the weekend. Opperman is 199-213 as a collegiate head coach and owns an 80-97 mark with Duquesne.