Volleyball Travels to the Windy City for the Rambler Classic (Aug. 28-29, ESPN3/WatchESPN App)

DURHAM, N.H. -- The two-time defending America East champion University of New Hampshire volleyball team, under the direction of 20^th-year head coach Jill Hirschinger, begin the 2015 season at the Rambler Classic. UNH kicks off the two-day tournament against Windy City adversaries Loyola University Chicago (2 p.m.) and Northwestern University (6 p.m.) before taking on Wake Forest (11 a.m.) on Saturday, Aug. 29. All three games will be broadcasted on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app.

THE STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE: The Wildcats return 12 letterwinners, six seniors and six starters from last year's championship squad. Senior co-captain and outside hitter Tori Forrest (Powder Springs, Ga.) aims to resume her success on the court. The two-time America East First Team selection led the Wildcats in kills on 14 occasions last season, boasting a team-high 2.96 kills per set. She also paced the team with 10 double-double performances. Forrest is accompanied by senior defensive specialist and co-captain Madison Lightfoot (Clarkston, Mich.). Ranked sixth on the all-time digs leaderboard with 1,206, she garnered America East Second Team and All-Championship Team honors after posting a team-high 5.05 digs per set in 2014. Middle blocker Demi Muses (Orangevale, Calif.), the 2014 America East Championships' Most Outstanding Player, returns for her junior campaign. Muses appeared in 27 matches last season and led the team in total blocks (84) and hitting percentage (.252).

UNH inked five student-athletes to bolster a senior-laden squad pegged to capture the America East title for a third straight year. The freshman quintet consists of Lina Heinrichs (Fairbanks, Alaska; 6-foot-4 middle blocker), Mali Jereczek (Green Bay, Wis.; 5-11 setter), Alexa Markman (Chicago, Ill.; 6-0 middle blocker), Gabri Olhava (Mount Prospect, Ill.; 6-1 middle blocker) and Sarah Shelton (Ellsworth, Maine; 6-1 outside hitter).

SEASON OPENERS: New Hampshire has won three of its last five season openers. Last season, UNH fell to the University of Connecticut in straight sets. Prior to that, the 'Cats last season-opening loss dated back to Aug. 26, 2011 at the University of West Virginia in three sets.

NEW OPPONENTS: The Wildcats see three new opponents this season: Northwestern, Wake Forest and Marshall University. Two of the three opponents that New Hampshire will encounter this weekend will be the first-ever meeting.

HAVE TO BEAT THE BEST: UNH will compete against one program that earned a bid into the NCAA Tournament and three that were ranked in the top 100 RPI from 2014. Michigan State University may be the toughest test the Wildcats encounter, ranking 42^nd in the national RPI rankings. Northwestern (72^nd) and Harvard University (81^st) will also be arduous opponents. Michigan State merited an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament last season.

SCOUTING LOYOLA CHICAGO: The Ramblers opens the 2015 season under fourth-year head coach Chris Muscat. Loyola Chicago welcome back six starters from last season that finished with an overall record of 9-19, including 5-13 in Missouri Valley Conference play. Junior outside hitter Morgan Reardon looks to lead the Rambler offense after registering a team-high 3.77 kills per set last season. Loyola Chicago also returns Caroline Holt as the team's setter after leading the MVC with 1,142 total assists last season. The Ramblers added five freshmen to complete their roster.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. LOYOLA CHICAGO: The Wildcats and Ramblers meet for just the second time in the all-time series. Loyola Chicago prevailed in the first meeting with a three-set decision at UConn on Aug. 31, 1996.

SCOUTING NORTHWESTERN: The Wildcats brings back 12 letterwinners and five starters under the guidance of 16th-year head coach Keylor Chan. Red shirt senior Caroline Niedospial looks to replicate her defensive prowess in the upcoming season. Niedospial received Honorable Mention All-Big Ten for her efforts in 2014, ranking second in the conference with 4.72 digs per set. Northwestern inked three freshmen to complete its roster for 2015.

SCOUTING WAKE FOREST: Ken Murczek begins his third season in 2015 as the head coach at Wake Forest, after posting an overall record of 16-16 and 6-12 in Atlantic Coast Conference frays. Long finished third on the team last year in kills with 2.15 kills per set. She is the second-leading attacker returning for the Demon Deacons this season behind Matalee Reed, who finished with 2.39 kills per set a season ago. Reed also finished her junior campaign leading the team in blocks with 105. Reed, Long and Wolf were the only three players last season to play in all 32 matches and 123 sets. Wolf led the team as a freshman with 523 digs, an average of 4.25 per set.

MILESTONE WATCH: Continuing her ascent of the UNH leaderboard, Lightfoot is currently ranked sixth in program history with 1,206 digs. The defensive specialist became the ninth player in program history to register 1,000 career digs, achieving the milestone on Oct. 3, 2014 against Binghamton University in a five-set win (24-26, 25-18, 20-25, 25-21, 15-7). In addition, Lightfoot's 560 digs last season tied the program's single-season record. Forrest is also close to reaching a milestone mark. The senior is 52 kills away from becoming the eighth player in UNH volleyball history to reach the 1,000-kill plateau.

PRESEASON PREDICTIONS: UNH was picked first in the 2015 America East Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll, the conference announced Monday, Aug. 17. The University at Albany, runner-up in last year's conference championship, placed second in the poll with 31 points and collected two first-place votes. Stony Brook University garnered 24 points to place third on the ballot. The University of Maryland, Baltimore County was pegged to finish fourth with 23 points. Binghamton University (17), University of Hartford (12) and the University of Massachusetts Lowell (six) completed the poll.

DUE NEXT: New Hampshire remains on the road as the squad visits Northeastern University. The Wildcats and Huskies will clash Tuesday, Sept. 1 (7 p.m.). UNH debuts at Lundholm Gymnasium against Bryant University on Tuesday, Sept. 8 (7 p.m.).

Check out UNHWildcats.com or follow the Wildcats via social media on Facebook (www.facebook.com/UNHWildcats), Twitter (@UNHWildcats), YouTube (www.youtube.com/UNHAthletics) and Instagram (@UNHWildcats) for the latest news and information on all 20 varsity sports. For additional information on the UNH volleyball team, like the squad on Facebook or follow the 'Cats on Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat @UNHVOLLEYBALL.

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