Kearney, Neb. - The 9th-ranked Nebraska-Kearney volleyball team kicks off the 2014 season once again at home with the annual New Victorian Inn & Suites/Runza Fall Classic.

Action will take place Friday and Saturday in the Health & Sports Center. On both days, matches will take place at 10:00 a.m., 12:15 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 4:45 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Admission won't be charged until 4:00 p.m. on Friday.

The visiting teams are Newman from the Heartland Conference, Western State from the RMAC, Northern State from the Northern Sun and independent South Dakota Mines.

Check the UNK volleyball schedule page for the list of tournament matches; live stats will be available for each one. For matches involving, UNK a live video webstream is available (for $9.95 per day) with Saturday's Loper match vs. No. 21 Northern State available live on KGFW AM 1340.

The NU Jets, from Wichita, were in this tournament last year. Head coach Natalie Rawson's squad was picked sixth in the nine-team preseason Heartland poll. Newman won its final three matches of 2013 to finish up at 15-12 (8-10 HC).

Top returners include sophomore outside Gaylynn Jones (2.66 kills & 3.24 digs per set) and junior middle Ashley Gonzalez (2.47 kills and 0.53 blocks per set).

Western State, from Gunnison, Colo., went 1-26 (0-19 RMAC) last season. First-year head coach Keven John most recently led a Top 20 NJCAA program at Snow College in Utah. He has a 19-player roster that features two former Snow players as well as junior middle Hailey Rehage (1.28 kills per set) and sophomore DS Amanda Maestas (3.26 digs per set).

Mines, like Newman, came to Kearney last September. They will join the RMAC with the start of the 2015-16 academic year.

The Hardrockers went 8-18 last fall, dropping two matches to the Lopers (-15, -15, -18 in Kearney & -18, -15, 25-20, -10 in Rapid City). Six-foot middle/right side Samantha Johnson averaged a team-best 3.10 kills per set in 2013 with setter Carsyn Garcia (9.88 assists & 2.69 digs per set) the only senior on a 12-player roster. 

Finally, Northern State will be one of the top teams in the NSIC and Central Region this year. Head Coach Brent Aldridge has 12 returners off last year's 22-8 (14-6 NSIC) squad that reached the NCAA Tournament.

Junior lefty outside Kelsey Chambers is the 2014 NSIC Preseason Player of the Year after hitting .311 and averaging a healthy 4.32 kills per set in 2013. Lincoln North Star graduate Cari McGarvie (2.31 kps) and fellow junior Jussy Tuscherer (2.26 kps) will provide offense as well.

UNK, mean while, will be relying on several sophomores and freshmen in order to make a 15th straight NCAA Tournament appearance.

Senior Liz McGowan, aiming to break Angie Usher's career dig mark of 2,058, may alter between the backrow and outside hitter. She has over 200 career kills and played some on the outside at the start of last season.

With junior MJ Massanet limited to back row duty for the time being, UNK's is having to replace 65% of its kill total from last year. Departed seniors Ashley Leitner, Ellie Pesavento and Katie Sokolowski each recorded 1,000 kills in their careers. This trio, along with Massanet, ranked one through four last year in kills, respectively.

Sophomores Katie Weber (.439 attack pct.) and Bailey Sokolowski (1.76 kills & 0.88 blocks per set) may crack the starting rotation in the middle with junior left Kelle Carver (819 career kills at Cameron U.) on the right side. On the outside, besides McGowan, may be sophomore Kinslie TeKolste (1.86 kills per set) and true freshmen LaRose Currie and Kaitlynn Thomas.

Junior setter Erin Seele led the MIAA in assists last year (11.13) to earn all-league honors. Finally, DS Kadie Baumgardner came in at 2.65 digs per set in her first collegiate season.

UNK heads to Colorado for its only other non-MIAA matches of the season.