DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The eyes of Texas will be upon Bethune-Cookman volleyball  -- well, those in the gym, anyway – on opening weekend and so will those in "The Big Easy" two weeks later. Trips to Texas and New Orleans highlight the 2018 Lady Wildcat schedule announced today (April 18, 2018).

Bethune-Cookman will open its campaign in Huntsville, Texas at Sam Houston State on Friday, August 24, against Texas Southern and will also face Drake and host Sam Houston State in that weekend's tournament.

Two weeks later, the Lady Wildcats head to New Orleans and will face Jackson State and Prairie View A&M of the SouthWestern Athletic Conference and host New Orleans September 7-8.

Both tournaments intrigue Head Coach Brittany Williams, now in her fourth season as Head Coach. She's from Houston – an hour away from Huntsville – and several of her players are from Texas and Louisiana. 

"You're always excited to go back home," Williams said. "Both weekends also offer some intriguing matchups that will help prepare us for another run at the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship."

Closer to home, B-CU also competes at the FAU Invitational August 31 and September 1 and the Stetson Invitational September 14-15. B-CU and Stetson's 2017 meeting was canceled due to Hurricane Irma.

Bethune-Cookman's home opener  will be Friday, September 21 against Florida Gulf Coast. The eight-game home schedule in Moore Gymnasium concludes on Sunday, November 4 against archrival Florida A&M.

The Lady Wildcats posted a 12-14 overall record in their 2017 campaign, including a 9-1 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Southern Division mark that produced their second No. 1 seed for the MEAC tournament in three seasons.

B-CU is 26-4 in MEAC play in the Williams era.