BLACKSBURG, Va. – The Virginia Tech volleyball team has its sights set high in 2010, facing eight NCAA tournament teams, including two that finished out 2009 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association top 25. With only 12 of their 30 games at home, the Hokies, who went 12-3 at home but just 4-8 on the road last season, have their work cut out for them.

The Hokies open the season on the road at the Comcast Lady Vol Classic on Aug. 27-28, where they will face Chattanooga, former Atlantic-10 rival Xavier, and preseason No. 19 Tennessee. They then come home to the friendly confines of Cassell Coliseum for the fifth-annual Hokie Invitational, presented by Hilton Garden Inn, on Sept. 3-4. The Hokies will host three 2009 NCAA tournament teams, Coastal Carolina, Jacksonville State and Long Island University, in their challenging home opener. Coastal Carolina and Long Island were both selected to finish atop their respective conferences, while Jacksonville State was predicted to take second in the Ohio Valley Conference.

Tech then hits the road for the Western Kentucky Tournament and the Cavalier Invitational. The Hokies will face Central Arkansas on Sept. 10, who was slated by the Southland Conference coaches to win this season’s east division, along with Missouri, and the host-team Western Kentucky. For the second year in a row, Tech opens ACC conference play against Virginia at the Cavalier Invitational on Sept. 17, followed by its final non-conference match of the season against Towson.

On Sept. 24 and 26, the Hokies embark on their most challenging road trip of the season, heading down to Florida for Miami and preseason No. 15 Florida State. The 2009 ACC Champion Seminoles made it to the Elite 8 last year and finished the season ranked 11^th in the country.

The Hokies finally return to Cassell at the start of October, as they host Clemson and Georgia Tech in their ACC home opener. After hitting the road for Maryland and Boston College, they come home to host Wake Forest and Duke. The Blue Devils received 63 votes in the AVCA poll to rank them 31^st in the nation and were predicted to finish in a tie for first in the ACC. On Oct. 22-23, Tech will face North Carolina and NC State on the road, the only ACC members that the Hokies do not play twice.

Tech will hold its longest homestand of the season from Oct. 29 to Nov. 6, hosting Florida State, Miami, Boston College and Maryland. The team then goes on a four-game road trip before closing out the season at home on Nov. 26 against Virginia.