BYU Opens 2006 at Central Florida Tournament

BYU Radio to Broadcast All Three BYU Matches

PROVO -- The Cougars open up the 2006 volleyball season this weekend on the road at the University of Central Florida Fall Invitational. After an impressive run in 2005 that saw BYU finish 25-4 and win the Mountain West Conference regular-season title, head coach Jason Watson and a talented cast of newcomers and returning players hope to start the year off with a bang and show why they are once again the preseason favorites to repeat as league champions.

"I have enjoyed our team's effort in preparation for the season," said BYU head coach Jason Watson. "It's been a challenging but successful preseason camp. Our team is excited to be heading to UCF and looking forward to competing for the first time this season."

The two-day event, hosted by UCF on their Orlando, Fla., campus, will feature six matches beginning with BYU against Florida International on Friday at 4 p.m. (ET). The Cougars will play again on Saturday at 10 a.m. against Central Florida and then at 4 p.m. versus Stetson. BYU, listed No. 26 in the Preseason CSTV/AVCA Top 25 Coaches Poll, is 1-0 all-time against both FIU and UCF and has never played Stetson.

Senior middle blocker Lindsy Hartsock, who ranked second in the nation in hitting percentage last season and was the MWC Player of the Year, headlines a roster featuring six returning starters among 11 returning letterwinners. In addition to Hartsock, 2005 All-MWC honorees Chelsea Goodman and Erica Lot, both junior outside hitters, also return along with 2004 all-conference outside hitter Kim Wilson, who redshirted last season due to injury. Hartsock, Goodman and Lott have all been named preseason All-MWC picks.

Fans of the Cougars can catch all of the BYU action at this week's tournament on BYU Radio. The live audio link can be accessed by going to the schedule page of the BYU women's volleyball homepage at http://www.byucougars.com/volleyball_w/.