PROVO — The BYU women's volleyball team faces a strong 2003 schedule that features 15 opponents coming off 20-win seasons last year.
The Cougars boast 10 matches against opponents who qualified for the 2002 NCAA Tournament, including No. 4 Florida, No. 13 Ohio State and No. 16 Penn State. BYU's non-conference opponents posted a .693 winning percentage in 2002. Overall, BYU's opponents won at a .641 clip, as 17 of 22 had winning records.
"Like last season, this one will be a tough schedule, but we look forward to playing some of the best teams in the country," BYU head coach Karen Lamb said. "We have a lot of talent coming back and with three key redshirts returning. We expect to be a top-20 team this season."
Four of the Cougars' opponents won conference titles last year and four others finished as league runners-up. In all 14 opponents achieved top-four finishes in their conferences last season.
Conferences represented on BYU's non-league schedule include the Big Ten, Big East, Southeastern Conference, Big West, Conference USA, Missouri Valley Conference, Mid-American, Sunbelt, Western Athletic, Big Sky and Patriot conferences.
On the road for their first seven matches, the Cougars will face No. 4 host Florida (34-1 in 2002), American (26-8) and Rutgers (17-11) at the Florida Tournament Aug. 29-30.
A week later, BYU travels to Springfield, Mo., with four matches in the two-day tournament — against Arkansas (27-6), North Texas (16-17), St. Louis (21-10) and tournament host Southwest Missouri State (21-9).
The Cougars will host their first home matches Sept. 12-13 with the Mizuno Classic. Played in the George Albert Smith Fieldhouse, the Cougars face No. 13 Ohio State (21-11), Rice (18-16) and No. 16 Penn State (25-8). BYU then plays host to Utah Valley State College (24-4) in a first-time meeting between the two local schools as UVSC prepares to enter Division I play.
BYU begins Mountain West Conference play with a home series against Colorado State (22-10) and Wyoming (20-11), followed by a three-game road trip against New Mexico (10-21) and Air Force (8-22) and a nonconference visit to Weber State (20-13), with the Ogden match set for Oct. 7.
On Oct. 10, the Cougars play host to defending MWC champion Utah (25-9) to start a three-match homestand, followed by visits from San Diego State (22-12) and UNLV (11-20).
For the second half of conference play, BYU visits Wyoming and CSU, hosts New Mexico and Air Force and then wraps up with road trips to Utah, UNLV and SDSU.
BYU will compete in the MWC Tournament in San Diego Nov. 20-22, then will complete the regular season at home hosting Utah State (14-15) Eastern Michigan (28-7) in late-November matches.
In all, BYU's schedule includes 30 matches, with two preseason road tournaments and the Mizuno Classic. The Cougars will play 14 matches in the Smith Fieldhouse and a minimum of 16 matches on the road, including six neutral contests.
As the Cougars match up with their 2003 opponents, BYU has a winning record with all of them but five: Arkansas (0-1), Florida (3-4) and Penn State (3-4), with first-time matches against UVSC and Eastern Michigan. BYU's all-time record versus this season's opponents is 371-75-1 (.830).
The Cougars look to return to the NCAA Tournament, with the first round beginning on Dec. 5. The Cougars have made 30 appearances in national championship tournaments, including 20 of 22 NCAA tournaments. BYU has won 23 conference titles.