Photo Courtesy of QU Athletics

By Alex Cosgrove

The Quinnipiac women’s volleyball team is set to rebound this fall after going 5-26 overall and 3-18 in conference play. Head coach Kristopher Czaplinski has 11 returning players entering his third season with the Bobcats as he looks to continue to build the young team into a contender in the MAAC.

The 2014 schedule will feature a wide range of competition for Quinnipiac. The Bobcats will face a relatively easy 13-game non-conference schedule with the toughest challenger likely to be Hofstra on Aug. 30 in which the Pride went 17-15 in 2013. Another non-conference matchup that should intrigue Quinnipiac is Morgan St. Although the Bears were 12-13 in 2013, they were strong at home with a 5-2 record at which this year’s matchup will take place.

The first test in the 18-game conference schedule and one of the most important weekends for the Bobcats will take place on the Sept. 20 and 21 in which Quinnipiac will face both Manhattan and Iona. Both teams went 13-5 in the MAAC in 2013 and will provide a good look at the development of Czaplinski’s squad. A successful weekend could set the tone for the Bobcats when they go up against the rest of the field in the MAAC including the returning conference champion Fairfield and regular season champion Marist the following two weekends.

The season begins on Aug. 29 against Lafayette at the Hofstra Invitational.

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