Aug. 12, 2008

ST. LOUIS - Saint Louis volleyball's seven returners and five freshmen reported to campus to begin their quest for a second NCAA Tournament appearance and Atlantic 10 Conference title. The Billikens kicked off preseason action with two-a-day sessions on Friday, Aug. 8, at the Chaifetz Pavilion, housed within Chaifetz Arena.

"Practice has gotten off to an incredible start," SLU head coach Anne Kordes said. "Everyone has come back in great shape, and our practices have been intense and competitive. Everyone is fighting for a spot and it's an incredible gym environment. No one is resting on what they have done in the past. They are all out to prove themselves. It's a coach's dream."

Expectations are high for the Bills in 2008 as they return seven letterwinners, each of whom has starting experience, and are coming off back-to-back 20-win campaigns. For the second-straight year, SLU enters the season as the favorite in the A-10 West, according to the preseason coaches' poll.

After finishing third in the West Division, the 2007 Billikens (23-7, 10-3 A-10) narrowly missed making their second appearance in the A-10 Championship title match by falling to Xavier 3-2 in the semifinals. The 2007 campaign was also the winningest season in Kordes' head-coaching tenure.

An early highlight of the 2008 campaign is the Billiken Invitational slated for Sept. 5-6 at Chaifetz Pavilion. Saint Louis opens its home slate against Big Ten power Illinois on Friday, Sept. 5, at 7 p.m. on the first day of the tournament. The following day, SLU faces William & Mary at 11 a.m. before battling 2007 NCAA runner-up and perennial powerhouse Stanford at 7 p.m.

Due to anticipated demand for Billiken Invitational tickets, fans are encouraged to purchase tickets ahead of time by calling 314/977-4SLU.