This Friday will signal the start of not just the fall sports season for Southern Oregon University, but it’s time for Volleyball season!

Six teams, including the 11th-ranked Raiders, are arriving at Bob Rheim Arena in the McNeal Pavilion on campus, for the Paul Elliott Invitational that will last from Friday morning through Saturday night.

The Invitational will involved Biola University, Oregon Tech Institute, UC-Merced,  Viterbo University, and Westminster College.

Paul Elliott Invitational is named after the former Hall of Fame SOU Volleyball coach, who had coached the team for 16 seasons en route to being the all-time winning est coach in not just SOU volleyball history but in school history.

The team has become into more of a cohesive volleyball team heading into this point with the season right around the corner.

“We’ve improved a lot basically in our chemistry, early on in the season that is what your focused on.  We came in really good shape.” said SOU head Volleyball coach, Josh Rohlfing, “that’s what going to lend itself to us, continuing to improve and get better and thats what I think that’s the baseline we’re going on off our condition, our strength and our speed and all that.”

The Raiders will open the season against UC-Merced on Friday at noon.  This first game is looked at as a “getting our feet wet” game according to Rohlfing, to help to get the rust off heading into their second game later in the day.

But the second game won’t be until Friday night at 8p.m., and it’s a big one; when SOU takes on the fifth-ranked Biola University.  The Eagles are a top-tier team in the NAIA that are always ranked near or in the top 10.  This game will be a good barometer game for the Raiders as they enter the regular season.