LA MIRADA, Calif. --- The Biola University Athletic Department is pleased to announce the official release of the 2008 volleyball, men's and women's soccer and cross country schedules as the Eagles embark on the 2008-09 athletic season.
The Biola volleyball squad returns the bulk of the 2007 team which reached the NAIA National Quarterfinals and placed third overall. The Eagles open their season with a pair of difficult tournaments, the first at Azusa Pacific (Aug. 22-23) and the second at Concordia (Aug. 29-30).
Biola opens the home portion of its schedule on Friday, Sept. 5, hosting Holy Names University (Calif.) in a non-conference match at 5:00 p.m. at Chase Gymnasium.
The women's soccer team is busy preparing for its first season under new head coach Todd Elkins and it features 10 road games and eight home contests. In addition to the usual GSAC foes, Biola travels to Oregon for a pair of matches, Santa Cruz to take on the NCAA Division III Banana Slugs, and a trio of scrimmages against NCAA Division I and II teams.
The Eagles open the regular season at home on Wednesday, Aug. 20, hosting Viterbo University and host The Master's in their GSAC opener on Saturday, Sept. 27.
The men's soccer team also faces a tough schedule which includes some familar opponents and a pair of first-time foes. The Eagles will see Soka University (Sept. 12) and the Academy of Art (Sept. 15) for the first time while taking on old rivals Chapman (Sept. 3) and Claremont (Sept. 8).
The regular season kicks off with a home match against a former foe in Chapman University on Wednesday, Sept. 3 on Al Barbour Field at 7:00 p.m. The two teams have faced each other 22 times in their storied histories, but have not met since 2003.
Biola's cross country squad, which had a strong resurgence in 2007, has eight races on its 2008 schedule including four hosted by NCAA Division I schools. Also, after a two year hiatus, the Eagles once again will host the Biola Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 25, at Irvine Regional Park in Orange.
Highlighting the 2008 fall sports schedule is Parents Weekend (Oct. 10-12). All four of the teams are close to home that weekend and all Biola parents are invited to visit the campus and take in a sporting event.
The Eagles' cross country team opens the day at the Vanguard Invitational at 9:00 a.m. in Costa Mesa, just 20 minutes south of La Mirada. The volleyball team will host California Baptist at 7:00 p.m. in Chase Gymnasium while on the soccer pitch, Biola takes on Concordia in women's soccer at 4:30 p.m. and in men's soccer at 7:00 p.m.
Click the links below to see the schedules for the 2008 Fall Sports teams:
VOLLEYBALL | MEN'S SOCCER | WOMEN'S SOCCER | CROSS COUNTRY
