With classes set beginning Monday, the Benedictine Fall athletic teams are set to begin play this weekend. Eight teams will be in action on either Friday or Saturday, as football will be the only Fall sport to kick the season off in September.
 
VOLLEYBALL
 
Friday: vs. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (2:30 p.m.) and California Lutheran (4:30 p.m.) in Claremont, California
 
To begin the season, Head Volleyball Coach Jennifer Wildes typically schedules an out-of-town tournament. This season, Wildes and the Eagles start out west, as the reigning conference champions will play four games in California on Friday and Saturday in the Pacific Coast Classic.
 
The first game of the season will feature BenU taking on Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. Members of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, the Athenas are coming of a season in which they finished 17-10 with a 9-7 SCIAC record. The two-time SCIAC champions will take on Whitworth at 10:00 a.m. before facing BenU at 2:30 p.m.
 
Game two on Friday figures to be one of the toughest the Eagles will see all season, as the team will take on last year's SCIAC champion: California Lutheran. After falling in the Regional Finals of the NCAA Tournament a year ago, the Regals are ranked 10th by the American Volleyball Coaches Association to begin this season. California Lutheran finished last season 31-6 and return both the conference's Player of the Year (Kylie McLogan) and Freshman of the Year (Allie Eason). McLogan was also named First-Team All-American by the AVCA after tallying 471 kills last season, a school record. The Regals will also take on Whitworth before taking on the Eagles.
 
Saturday: vs. Pomona-Pitzer (10:00 a.m.) and Redlands (2:30 p.m.)
 
Benedictine will start off day two in California with a morning match against Pomona-Pitzer. The third SCIAC team BenU will face out west, the Sagehens finished 9-15 with a 4-12 record in conference last season. However, Pomona-Pitzer returns plenty of experience, as six returnees played in at least 60 sets last season. The Sagehens were also third in the SCIAC in both blocks (1.56) and digs (17.26) per set.
 
To wrap up the trip, the Eagles will take on the University of Redlands in the afternoon. The Bulldogs are coming off of an 8-15 season with a 3-13 SCIAC record. Like Pomona-Pitzer, Redlands also possessed a young roster a year ago and will feature many returnees. Also, the Bulldogs were a very strong serving team in 2012, as they led the conference in service aces per set (1.73).
 
MEN'S SOCCER
 
Saturday: vs. Eureka- 2:00 p.m.
 
While eight teams open up the season this weekend for Benedictine Athletics, only one of those teams will do so at home. That team will be men's soccer, as Rich Nassif and the Eagles will welcome Eureka College to Lisle.
 
Like the Eagles, Saturday's contest will also be the first game of 2013 for the Eureka Red Devils. Last season, the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference school finished 2-15 with a 1-7 conference record. Chosen to finish ninth this season in the SLIAC pre-season poll, the Red Devils bring back sophomore Mark Meyer, who led the team with four goals. Also, the Red Devils have a new Head Coach, as former Eureka player Brian O'Malley takes over the team after serving as an assistant the past two seasons.
 
WOMEN'S SOCCER
 
Friday: vs. Franklin College in Terre Haute, Indiana- 7:00 p.m.
 
Like volleyball, women's soccer will also begin the season with a couple of games out of state. The team will travel to Terre Haute, Indiana for games on Friday and Saturday in the Rose-Hulman Invitational.
 
On Friday night, the team begins the season against Franklin College. Members of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference, the Indiana school was 6-7-3 overall with a 2-4-3 conference record in 2012. Two all-HCAC second teamers return for the Grizzlies, as juniors Ali Norton (midfield) and Danielle Owens (defender) were selected last season. The HCAC also highlights senior Vanessa Benham (forward) and junior Kayla Dragstrem (midfield) as "Players to Watch" for the upcoming season. Franklin was picked to finish seventh in the conference's pre-season poll.
 
Saturday: vs. Rose-Hulman in Terre Haute, Indiana- 4:30 p.m.
 
Women's soccer will play the last game of the trip on Saturday when they take on host Rose-Hulman in a late afternoon matchup. It will be the second game of the season for the Fightin' Engineers, as the team takes on Webster on Friday night.
 
Rose-Hulman was a strong team a season ago, finishing 9-7-3 with a 4-3-2 record in the HCAC. The Fightin' Engineers had arguably the best group of freshman in 2012, as four of them were given All-HCAC honors. All four players (goalkeeper Lucinda Combs, midfielder/forward Kate DeMoss, defender Mallory McDevitt, and midfielder Hayley Gillam) return this season along with senior forward Nicky Wheeler, who was also All-HCAC last season. Rose-Hulman was picked to finish fourth in the HCAC pre-season poll.
 
CROSS COUNTRY
 
Friday: at Elmhurst College- 5:00 p.m.
 
Both the men's and women's cross country teams will begin the season just a few miles northeast of Lisle at the Elmhurst College Earlybird Invitational. The event will take place at Eldridge Park in Elmhurst.
 
Last season, both the men's and women's cross country teams competed in the Elmhurst Earlybird invitational. The men's team placed 12th out of 18 teams. Patrick Ives placed 46th out of 168, while Andrew Guibord came in 80th.
 
The women's team placed 10th out of 16 in last year's Elmhurst Earlybird Invitational and were led by Sarah Hussey, who finished 16th out of 166 participants in the event. Megan Ryan (62nd), Krishna Patel (68th), and Rachel Scianna (70th) all finished in the Top 70.
 
TENNIS
 
Saturday: at Milwaukee School of Engineering (9:00 a.m.) and Concordia-Wisconsin (2:00 p.m.)
 
Women's tennis will be the only team competing in conference matchups this weekend, as the Eagles will play two Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference matches on the road in Wisconsin.
 
The Eagles will start the day against MSOE, who finished 2-10 last season with a 2-9 conference record. One of those nine losses was to the Eagles, as BenU captured all nine sets over the Raiders. MSOE also takes on Aurora on Saturday in another NACC match.
 
For the second match of the day, the Eagles will travel to Concordia-Wisconsin. Despite finishing just 11-12 overall, the Falcons were one of the conference's stronger teams a season ago, going 9-2 in conference play to finish in third place. BenU dropped all nine sets to CUW last season.
 
MEN'S GOLF
 
Friday and Saturday: at Edgewood College Invite
 
To start the fall portion of the schedule, the men's golf team will travel to Janesville, Wisconsin to compete in the Edgewood College Invite. The event will take place at Glen Erin Golf Course.
 
Last season, the Eagles also began the season at Glen Erin, where they finished 17th in the Culver's Edgewood College Fall Classic. Tommy Major shot a +19, while Steve Chmelovsky shot a +39.
 
WOMEN'S GOLF
 
Friday and Saturday: at Carthage/Robert Morris Invite
 
First-year Head Coach Jason Kroese and the women's golf team will start the season by competing in the Carthage/Robert Morris Invite. The event will take place at both Foss Park Golf Club in North Chicago and Bristol Oaks Golf Club in Bristol, Wisconsin.
 
Last season, BenU opened the season competing at Foss Park in the Robert Morris Fall Classic. Bailey Weber shot a +26, while Kathryn Ghanayem shot +33. The team placed tied for tenth.