June 10, 2008

2008 Schedule

VILLANOVA, Pa. - Head coach Josh Steinbach has announced the Wildcats' schedule for the upcoming 2008 season. Villanova will face a number of early tests during the non-conference portion of its schedule, including a trip to San Francisco, Calif. and a meeting with the reigning national champion Penn State Nittany Lions.

The Wildcats open the 2008 season on August 28 against Northern Colorado in the LaSalle tournament and can first be seen on their home court on September 19, as they host Bucknell in the Villanova Classic. LaSalle and Penn are also participating in the tournament.

Villanova will play 12 of its 30 matches at home with 18 contests on the road, including nine matches at a neutral site during the non-conference portion of its schedule. The Wildcats will compete in four tournaments in the beginning of the season, three of them on the road before opening BIG EAST Conference play the weekend of Sept. 27-28 hosting Pittsburgh and West Virginia.

The Wildcats will be tested early in the season when they head to State College, Pa. where they will face last year's national champion, Penn State who was undefeated on its home court in 2007. The Nittany Lions went 34-2 en route to their second national championship in program history.

The following weekend the Wildcats will have another test when they face Sacramento State in San Fransico, who concluded the 2007 season receiving votes on the CSTV/AVCA Coaches Poll.

In away tournaments Villanova will face Northern Colorado, Rider, Lafayette, George Washington, Long Island, Miami and San Francisco. Also on its non-conference schedule is the University of Maryland, Baltimore County on Sept. 9, cross-town rival Temple on Oct. 1, Fordham on Oct. 4 and an away contest at Delaware on Oct. 15.

The BIG EAST will be a strong conference once again. Villanova will travel to Louisville and Cincinnati the weekend of Oct. 11 for its first road conference test. Louisville concluded 2007 with a trip to the NCAA Tournament and received votes on the final coaches poll. The Wildcats will take on NCAA Regional Semifinals participant St. John's in Queens, N.Y. on Nov. 11. The Red Storm finished ranked no. 13 in the nation and won the BIG EAST Tournament.

After finishing with a 17-12 overall record in 2007 and finishing third with a 9-5 record in the BIG EAST, the Wildcats will return eight from the squad in 2007 and welcome seven newcomers to the roster. 2007 marked the third straight year Villanova had a winning record and it was the first time in three seasons that they made an appearance in the conference tournament.

"The balance in our schedule is very good," head coach Josh Steinbach said. "There are some big challenges on it, especially early on, for our young team. Our preseason schedule will be very important in preparing ourselves for the BIG EAST schedule. Playing last year's national champion Penn State, on their home court, will be a tremendous test and a good opportunity for us."