SALT LAKE CITY - The Westminster women's volleyball team opens the 2010 season this week by playing host to the Tournament of Champions presented by Courtyard Marriott Downtown. The Griffins welcome No. 9 Azusa Pacific, No. 16 College of Idaho and Daemen College to the Behnken Field House for matches on Friday, August 27 and Saturday, August 28.

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Westminster opens on Friday at 2 p.m. against Daemen and then faces the College of Idaho at 6 p.m. The match with Azusa Pacific is scheduled for noon on Saturday. The semi-final matches will begin at 2 and 4 p.m. with the championship match being played at 6 p.m.

The Griffins enter the 2010 season with a new look. The team welcomes in eight newcomers to go with the six returners that went 9-20 last season. Although the team is young, the group of freshmen is loaded with high level high school and club experience. Mix that with the veteran leadership and head coach Kim Norman is excited about the possibilities of this team.

Ericka Evans is the lone senior on the squad and was a First Team All-Frontier Conference performer in 2009. She led the team with 291 kills with a .183 hitting efficiency as a junior. Evans also racked up 301 digs to rank second on the team and 10th in the conference. She enters the season fourth in school history with 604 kills in her career.