DC volleyball serves up 2024 schedule
DEFIANCE, Ohio – The 2024 schedule for the Defiance College volleyball team features a hefty 32-game slate to usher the Yellow Jackets into NAIA competition, the DC Athletic Department announced on Friday.
Led by first-year head coach Jeremy Thornburg, Yellow Jacket volleyball will be DC's first varsity program to compete in official game action since rejoining the NAIA. The first four contests of the season will be held at the Weaner Center and Coach Marv Hohenberger Court as part of the Racer Yellow Jacket Classic hosted by DC and UNOH in Lima. Defiance will take on IU Northwest, Brescia, Governors State, and Goshen during the first weekend of the campaign. DC will play seven more matches over the following two weekends with invitationals at Saint Francis in Fort Wayne and Rio Grande.
Conference games within the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference start September 4 at Indiana Tech followed by the first home WHAC competition on September 13. The 18-game conference slate features home-and-home battles against Siena Heights, Lourdes, Indiana Tech, Cornerstone, Aquinas, Concordia, and UNOH.
All 24 opponents on the schedule are NAIA programs. Volleyball's upcoming season features nine first-time meetings against opponents while nine of 12 WHAC foes have faced the Jackets at least one time in program history. The team on the schedule with the most previous contests against Defiance is Siena Heights with 27 games followed by 24 previous meetings against Goshen.
The Yellow Jackets will primarily be in action on Wednesday and Friday nights in addition to Saturday afternoons throughout the season. Standard serve times are 7 p.m. on weeknights with 2 p.m. starts on Saturdays. All game times are subject to change.
2024 Defiance Volleyball Schedule
Aug. 16 vs. IU Northwest, 12 p.m. (Home Opener, Racer Yellow Jacket Classic)
Aug. 16 vs. Brescia, 7:30 p.m. (Racer Yellow Jacket Classic)
Aug. 17 vs. Governors State, 12:30 p.m. (Racer Yellow Jacket Classic)
Aug. 17 vs. Goshen, 5:30 p.m. (Racer Yellow Jacket Classic)
Aug. 23 vs. Oakland City, 11 a.m. (Onset Invitational, Fort Wayne)
Aug. 24 vs. Bethel, 1:15 p.m. (Onset Invitational, Fort Wayne)
Aug. 24 vs. Saint Francis (Ind.), 5:30 p.m. (Onset Invitational, Fort Wayne)
Aug. 30 vs. Kentucky Christian, 12 p.m. (at Rio Grande)
Aug. 30 vs. West Virginia Tech, 2:30 p.m. (at Rio Grande)
Aug. 31 at Rio Grande, 9:30 a.m.
Aug. 31 vs. Shawnee State, 2:30 p.m. (at Rio Grande)
Sept. 4 at Indiana Tech, 7 p.m.*
Sept. 13 vs. Lawrence Tech, 7 p.m.*
Sept. 14 vs. Rochester Christian, 2 p.m.*
Sept. 20 at Cornerstone, 7 p.m.*
Sept. 21 at Aquinas, 2 p.m.*
Sept. 25 at Concordia (Mich.), 7 p.m.*
Sept. 27 vs. Mount Vernon Nazarene, 7 p.m.
Sept. 28 vs. UNOH, 2 p.m.*
Oct. 2 at Lourdes, 7 p.m.*
Oct. 4 vs. Saint Mary-of-the-Woods (DH), 4 p.m.
Oct. 9 vs. Indiana Tech, 7 p.m.*
Oct. 11 at Siena Heights, 7 p.m.*
Oct. 18 at Madonna, 7 p.m.*
Oct. 19 at UM-Dearborn, 2 p.m.*
Oct. 25 vs. Cornerstone, 7 p.m.*
Oct. 26 vs. Aquinas, 2 p.m.*
Oct. 30 vs. Concordia (Mich.), 7 p.m.*
Nov. 1 at UNOH, 7 p.m.*
Nov. 6 vs. Lourdes, 7 p.m.*
Nov. 8 vs. Siena Heights, 7 p.m.*
Nov. 11-16 WHAC Tournament
*Denotes WHAC game
Quoting Head Coach Jeremy Thornburg
"I am excited to begin this new chapter for the Defiance College Women's Volleyball team. We have a great non-conference schedule that will give us opportunities to be successful and challenge us to improve immediately. We are excited to host our season-opening tournament along with UNOH on August 16-17 right here at DC. This is an exciting way to enter into the NAIA and give us an opportunity right away to show the Defiance community how hard this team has worked to improve. The WHAC schedule is tough from start to finish. We open with the defending conference champions, Indiana Tech, on their home court. We are also hosting two home matches against Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College on Friday, October 4th, which is homecoming weekend and a great time to highlight our 2013 and 2014 conference championship teams."
Defiance College is celebrating 175 years on March 23, 2025. The 175th Anniversary Campaign is currently underway. Click here to find out more or to give today!
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