College Volleyball
Rider Welcomes Back Alumni

LAWRENCEVILLE--The Rider University volleyball team welcomes its alumni back to campus on Saturday, August 18.

The event, in the Student Recreation Center on the Lawrenceville, New Jersey campus, begins at noon and will feature the 2012 Broncs in a match against the former stars of the program.

"This may sound like just a quick get together but there is an underlying importance to the day," said head coach Christopher Feliciano, in his second season at Rider.  "It is important for our players to connect with past student-athletes who have walked (and run) in their shoes and have gone down the same path that we are currently embarking on.  When times are good and when times are tough, this gives our team a valuable resource that they can turn to and rely on for additional guidance."

Current players will spend the day speaking with past athletics to gain the message that what they are doing really matters, not only on the court but in the classroom and beyond Rider.

"We are excited to host this match as we rebuild the program," Feliciano added.  "Our goal is to have a strong bridge from the past to the present and future of Rider Volleyball.  We've had some phenomenal athletes (and many Rider Athletic Hall of Famers) do some great things with their Rider degree and we want to embrace the opportunity for our current players to re-connect with the alumni of the program.  We can learn a lot from these great individuals who built the foundation of the program and it also reinforces why you work hard in practice, why you have to get up for your 8 o'clock class, why you then have to go lift and then do game study and then right back to the academics."

Rider opens competition on August 24 when the Broncs travel to Brooklyn Heights to take on St. Francis (N.Y.).  The Broncs won 3-2 at St. Francis (NY) in the 2011 season opener.

The home opener is the next day, August 25 at 1pm against Howard.  Due to the floor being resurfaced in Alumni Gym, that match and the August 29 (6pm) match against Fairleigh Dickinson will take place in the Student Recreation Center.

On August 26, the Broncs travel to Easton, Pennsylvania to take on the Leopards of Lafayette College before heading to Lehigh (Bethlehem, Pa.) to face the Mountain Hawks that evening.

The Alumni Gymnasium opener is Tuesday, September 4 at 6pm when the Broncs host Providence. 

"A day like Saturday ties everything together," Feliciano said.  "This allows the team to see the light at the end of the tunnel and the successes that they can enjoy with hard work and determination."

-RU-