GEORGETOWN, TEXAS -  Southwestern University Pirate volleyball is gearing up for another season in which they will compete against the top teams in the nation, not only in the front half of their schedule but in conference play as well. 

"We have worked diligently on putting together an elite-level out-of-conference schedule for the 2023 season," says Head Coach Don Flora. 

It will be tough to match the slate that the Pirates faced last season given how many ranked teams Southwestern took on last year. In 2022, the Pirates faced three opponents that finished in the top 25, including the National Champions, Juniata, and the national runner-up, Trinity (TX). All in all, the Pirates battled seven teams in 2022 that ended up in the national tournament. 

Kicking off 2023, Southwestern heads to California to battle La Verne, Pomona-Pitzer and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, who ended their 2022 campaign ranked number five in the country. After their trip to California, the Pirates come back to Georgetown to host their annual Southwestern Fall Invitational, playing the likes of Concordia (TX), Aurora, and Puget Sound, the last two of which were NCAA Tournament teams. 

Two more non-conference games follow in the month of September, participating in the Trinity Invitational against Pomona and Whittier before the Pirates head into SCAC play. Southwestern will host its first three conference opponents in the Robertson Center; Colorado College, Schreiner, and Trinity from September 22nd - 23rd. Then, it's an October filled with travel for Pirate volleyball. Southwestern will host one home matchup on Wednesday, October 18th against Texas Lutheran, the 2022 Conference Champions.  

Southwestern Volleyball has home court advantage going into the SCAC Tournament in November. The Pirates have the opportunity to host the conference championship tournament for the first time since 2015, a championship in which the Pirates came away victorious, taking down Trinity by a 3-1 margin. 

"This set of returners continues to put the work in needed to reach our goals as a program, and with a very competitive 2023 recruiting class coming in the fall we believe we have the pieces to compete in every match at a high level," states Coach Flora. 

"We have experience at every position on the court, 2023 holds plenty of opportunity for the team and our program". 

Catch Southwestern Volleyball for their first home contest of the season when they take on Concordia (TX) on Thursday, September 7th at 6:00 PM in the Robertson Center.