— TABOR COLLEGE ATHLETICS RELEASE —
HILLSBORO, Kan. (TaborBluejays.com) – First year Head Volleyball Coach at Tabor College, Adam Brewster has released the 2024 Bluejay Volleyball schedule.
Brewster has lined up an exciting slate of matches for the coming season, setting up plenty of tests for his maiden voyage.
The Bluejays will open their season with a quick trip west down Highway 56 to face nearby foe Central Christian in a tune-up scrimmage on Tue., Aug. 20th. The game will be scored as a scrimmage, so it will not officially count for either of the teams’ records. The Tigers finished their season last year with a 9-20 overall record and a 6-14 record in Sooner Athletic Conference play.
Following their opening scrimmage, the Lady Bluejays will head east to Marshall, Mo. to officially kickoff their season at the Viking Invitational hosted by Missouri Valley College. Tabor will get a solid taste of Heart of America Athletic Conference play and familiarize themselves with the Burns Athletic Complex, facing four of the league’s 13 members while in Marshall. Tabor will play two matches on Fri., Aug. 23rd, facing the hosting Missouri Valley at 5 PM first and capping off the evening with a 7 PM bout with Graceland. The Bluejays went toe-to-toe with both the Vikings and the Yellowjackets on their trip to Marshall last season, dropping both matches. A season ago, Missouri Valley finished their year with a 15-17 overall record and a 7-10 record in Heart play, while Graceland concluded their season going 9-18 overall, and 5-13 in the Heart.
The Lady Bluejays will continue their stay in Marshall on Sat., Aug. 24th with a match with William Penn at 11 AM and a match with Central Methodist at 5 PM. Tabor played a tough five-set match with the Statesmen a season ago, but ultimately dropped the contest. This season will mark the first time the Bluejays have met Central Methodist since the 2022 season, which saw the Eagles claim the victory in a neutral-site game in Columbia, Mo. A season ago, William Penn finished 16-17 overall and 10-8 in Heart play, concluding their season with a loss to Central Methodist in conference tournament play. Central Methodist finished their season last year with a 22-11 overall record and an impressive 14-3 conference record, falling in the conference tournament championship game and ending their season in the Opening Round of the NAIA National Tournament.
The Baker Wildcats will welcome the Bluejays to Baldwin City four days later on Wed., Aug. 28th. The match will take place at 7 PM in the Collins Center on the Baker University campus. The Bluejays will return the favor, hosting the Wildcats on Tue., Sep. 10th. Tabor played a home-and-home series with Baker last season, splitting the series, with the Bluejays taking the match in Baldwin City in three sets and Baker taking the match in Hillsboro in three sets. Last year, the Wildcats finished the season with a 9-18 overall record and a 4-13 record in the Heart.
The Bluejays won’t take too much time off, hitting the road again and this time heading up to Oskaloosa, Iowa, where they will compete in the William Penn Invitational. Tabor kicks off the tournament on Fri., Aug. 30th with a 5 PM bout with Mount Marty and a 7 PM match with Hannibal-LaGrange. Both opponents are familiar foes for the Bluejays as they faced both squads at the same tournament a season ago, falling to Mount Marty in three sets and knocking off Hannibal-LaGrange in four. Mount Marty finished last season with a 10-21 overall record and a 3-13 record in the Great Plains Athletic Conference, while Hannibal-LaGrange concluded their season with a 4-22 overall record and a 2-7 record in American Midwest Conference play.
Day two of the William Penn Invitational will see the Lady Bluejays meet Waldorf for a 9 AM date and the squad will close out tournament play with a bout with Culver-Stockton at 2 PM. The match with Waldorf marks the first time the two programs have faced each other, while the match with Culver-Stockton will be the first meeting between the two teams since 2021, where the Bluejays took the win. Waldorf ended their season with an overall record of 12-15 and a 1-11 record in the North Star Athletic Association last year and will be embarking on their maiden voyage in the GPAC this season. Culver-Stockton is coming off a 5-24 season with a 1-17 record in Heart play.
The Lady Bluejays will take a few days off before hosting MidAmerica Nazarene in their home opener on Fri., Sep. 6thfor a 6 PM battle. The two programs last met back in 2020 in Olathe, where the Pioneers sent the Bluejays back home with a loss. This year’s matchup holds a high level of significance, as it will mark the first time Coach Brewster and his sister Molly Karagyaurov will face each other as head coaches of their respective programs. The Pioneers concluded last season with a 15-13 overall record and a 10-7 record in Heart play.
Following their second matchup of the season with Baker, the Bluejays will head to Fayette, Mo. on Mon., Sep. 16th to compete in the Central Methodist Triangular. Tabor will take on the hosting Central Methodist Eagles at 3 PM and will conclude the evening with a matchup with Hannibal-LaGrange at 5 PM.
Tabor will hit the road again at the end of that week to compete in the Northwestern Oklahoma State Tournament, getting the chance to face off against two NCAA Division II programs. The Bluejays will take on William Jewell at 1 PM and the host school, Northwestern Oklahoma State at 3 PM. William Jewell finished last year with a 12-17 overall record and a 4-9 record in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, while the Rangers ended their season with a 10-17 overall record and a 6-10 record in the Great American Conference.
Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference play will begin for the Bluejays on Wed., Sep. 25th when Evangel comes to town for a 6 PM showdown. The Valor took last season’s matchup between the two squads in three sets in Springfield. Evangel finished last season’s campaign with a 14-14 overall record and an 8-5 record in their inaugural season of KCAC play and advanced to the KCAC Quarterfinals in Hutchinson, where they fell to Bethel.
The Lady Bluejays will head to Winfield on Saturday of that same week, taking on Southwestern inside the historic Stewart Field House in a 1 PM bout. Tabor took last year’s match in a five-set thriller in Hillsboro. The Moundbuilders are coming off a 9-17 season, with a 2-11 record in KCAC play.
Kansas Wesleyan will host Tabor on Wed., Oct. 2nd in Salina, inside Mabee Arena for a prime time 7 PM showdown. The Coyotes left Hillsboro with a three-set sweep last season. KWU boasted an overall record of 26-10 a season ago and finished with a 12-1 record in KCAC play, advancing to the KCAC Tournament Championship game where they ultimately fell to Oklahoma Wesleyan. The Coyotes ended their season bowing out of the Opening Round of the NAIA National Tournament.
Sterling makes the short trek to Hillsboro on Wed., Oct. 9th. The contest is set to being at 7 PM and will take place inside the Tabor College Gymnasium. The Bluejays rolled into the Gleason Center last season and took the victory in four sets and look to win in similar fashion back home. The Warriors ended their season with a 14-14 overall record and a 4-9 KCAC record. Sterling fell in the first round of the KCAC Tournament and ended their season with a loss in the first round of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Central Region tournament.
The Lady Bluejays head to Ottawa on Sat., Oct. 12th to take on the Braves at 2 PM in Wilson Field House. Ottawa won last season’s match in four sets in Hillsboro. Ottawa finished with a 22-12 overall record and a 9-4 record in KCAC play and concluded their season in the KCAC Tournament Semifinals, falling in a three-set sweep to Oklahoma Wesleyan.
Wed., Oct. 16th marks the date of the bitter rivalry match between Mennonite foes as Tabor heads down the road to North Newton to take on Bethel. The game will take place at 7 PM in Thresher Gym. The Threshers won last season’s battle in Hillsboro in three sets. Bethel finished their season with a 23-10 overall record and an 11-2 KCAC record, ending their season in the KCAC Tournament Semifinals.
Tabor brings in Saint Mary for a homecoming matchup on Sat., Oct. 19th at 5:30 PM inside The Nest. Saint Mary sent the Bluejays back to Hillsboro with a loss in last year’s contest. The Spires finished with a record of 21-10 and an 8-5 record in KCAC play, falling to Kansas Wesleyan in the KCAC Tournament Quarterfinals to end their season.
The Bethany Swedes will make the short trip to Hillsboro that following Wednesday for a 7 PM battle. Tabor came out of Lindsborg victorious last season, earning the victory in four sets. The Bluejays also ended Bethany’s season with a three-set sweep in the first round of KCAC Tournament play. The Swedes ended their season with a 9-19 overall record and a 5-8 record in the KCAC.
The Lady Bluejays will hit the road on Friday of that same week and head to Kansas City to face Avila at 7 PM inside Mabee Fieldhouse. A season ago, the Bluejays sent the Eagles home with a three-set sweep and look to do the same in Kansas City this season. The Eagles finished with a 7-20 overall record a season ago and a KCAC record of 3-10, ending their season with a three-set sweep at the hands of Evangel in the first round of the KCAC Tournament.
York will play host to the Bluejays on Wed., Oct. 30th in the Freeman Center for a 7 PM bout. Tabor dealt the Panthers a three-set sweep to send them back to Nebraska last season. The Panthers ended their season with a 4-23 overall record and a 1-12 record in the KCAC.
Sat., Nov. 2nd marks Senior Day for Bluejay Volleyball as they host Oklahoma Wesleyan at 2 PM in The Nest. The Eagles dealt the Bluejays a loss in Bartlesville last season and ended Tabor’s season just two weeks later at the KCAC Tournament. The Eagles won the KCAC Tournament last season and ended their season in the Pool Play Round of the NAIA Volleyball Championships.
The Lady Bluejays host Highway 56 foe McPherson on Wed., Nov. 6th at 7 PM. McPherson won last season’s meeting in three-sets. The Bulldogs ended their season in the KCAC Tournament Quarterfinals with a loss to Ottawa, finishing with a 19-8 overall record and a KCAC record of 9-4.
Sat., Nov. 9th marks the final regular season matchup for the Lady Bluejays, and it just so happens to be the Battle of the Birds. Friends hosts the Bluejays for a 7 PM contest that looks to be an exciting one. Tabor swept the Falcons in Hillsboro last season. The Falcons finished with an 8-25 overall record and a 1-12 record in KCAC play.
“I tried to build out a schedule that would test our capabilities”, stated Coach Brewster when asked about the schedule. “I want to get Tabor back to the top of the KCAC and the National Tournament. To do that we need to have a schedule that shows how we line up with other teams that historically have been in play at the National Level. Scheduling teams like MNU, CMU, Ottawa, and Oklahoma Wesleyan will be a good barometer for how much work we must do before we rise to that level.”
“With 50% of the team being new athletes, I foresee us taking some time to find a rhythm that allows us to get some nods from rating committees in the NAIA. I have faith that our recruiting class and the work the returners put in this spring has us on the right track, and I am thankful for the support and excitement that has been expressed to me in the Tabor community as a first-year head coach.”
The online schedule is available here and will be updated with links to game notes, broadcasts, live stats, and other gameday information.
A full season preview will be released as the season gets closer.
Be sure to stay up to date with all information regarding Bluejay Athletics by following us on X at @gotaborbluejays, on Instagram and Facebook @taborbluejays, and on our official athletic website, taborbluejays.com.
Tabor College is a Christ-centered institution located in Hillsboro, Kansas. The Bluejays are members of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and compete in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC).
