May 18, 2004
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket volleyball team will begin the 2004 season against Southern California in the opening day match-up of the 10th annual National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators Women’s Volleyball Classic Match (NACWAA) as announced by NACWAA Tuesday.
The tournament will be played Friday and Saturday August 27-28 on the campus of Colorado State University in Fort Collins, CO. Colorado State University and Minnesota will play immediately following Tech’s match Friday with the consolation and championship matches to be played on Saturday, August 28th. All times and television broadcasts will be announced at a later date.
“We are extremely excited to play USC the first match of the year,” said head coach Bond Shymansky who begins his third season at the helm of the Jackets. “It will be a huge benefit for us to measure ourselves against last year’s national champs and our team will be fully prepared when August 27th arrives.”
The field of the 2004 NACWAA Classic includes the top NCAA Division I programs in the nation. Georgia Tech advanced to the Elite Eight in the 2003 NCAA tournament for the first time in school history. The Yellow Jackets posted a school best 34-4 record and were ranked in the USA Today/AVCA Top 25 Poll for the duration of the season, including three weeks at No. 4. The University of Southern California, coming off its second-consecutive NCAA Championship and sixth national title overall, heads into the 2004 season attempting to become the first-ever women’s volleyball team to win three consecutive titles.Colorado State University advanced to the Regional Semifinals of the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in five seasons in 2003 after winning the Mountain West Conference Tournament and posting a perfect 14-0 record in Mountain West Conference play. The University of Minnesota advanced to the first Final Four in school history in 2003. The Golden Gophers finished tied for second in the Big Ten with a 15-5 conference record, and finished the 2003 season with its highest national ranking in school history at No. 4.
