September 4, 2003

FURMAN VOLLEYBALL TO HOST 2003 HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS DOWNTOWN INVITATIONAL THIS WEEKEND

GREENVILLE, South Carolina -- The Furman volleyball team will host the four-team Holiday Inn Express Downtown Invitational this Friday and Saturday, Sept. 5-6, at Timmons Arena.

The tournament will kickoff on Friday at 5 p.m. with a match between the Pirates of East Carolina and the Panthers of Birmingham Southern. The nightcap, slated for a 7 p.m. start time, will mark Furman¹s first home match of the year, as the Lady Paladins host the Gardner-Webb Lady Bulldogs.

Action continues on Saturday with an 11 a.m. match between Gardner-Webb and East Carolina, followed at 1 p.m. by Furman versus Birmingham Southern. After a short break GWU and Birmingham Southern take to the court in a 4 p.m. contest, followed at 6 p.m. by the concluding match between Furman and ECU.

The Lady Paladins enter this weekend¹s tournament with an 0-4 record following a loss to Clemson on Wednesday night. Birmingham Southern is 1-2 overall, while Gardner-Webb brings a 3-1 mark into the action and East Carolina sports a perfect 4-0 record.

The Ohio Bobcats won the 2002 Holiday Inn Express Downtown Invitational, while Furman last took the title in 2001, with a 3-0 mark in tournament play.

There is no admission charge for Furman volleyball matches.

A complete schedule for this weekend follows:

Friday, September 5
5:00 Birmingham Southern vs. East Carolina
7:00 Gardner-Webb vs. Furman

Saturday, September 6
11:00 Gardner-Webb vs. East Carolina
1:00 Furman vs. Birmingham Southern
4:00 Birmingham Southern vs. Gardner-Webb
6:00 Furman vs. East Carolina