ROSEBURG – Student-athletes are back on campus at Umpqua Community College and practices got underway earlier this month, despite school not starting until September.

Volleyball got practices underway on August 1 in preparation for the start of the year on Saturday, August 26. The Lady RiverHawks begin the year with a day full of matches at the NWAC Friendlies Showcase Tournament in Eugene. The tournament will span the weekend and features most of the teams from the Northwest Athletic Conference.

The volleyball team went 28-23 last year and finished fourth in the South Region standings. The RiverHawks qualified for the conference tournament and went 2-2 before getting knocked out.

Volleyball has been one of the long-standing sports offered at UCC, but it won’t be the only sport offered this fall as it has been in years past. Cross Country and Obstacle Course Racing (OCR) will both have their inaugural seasons at Umpqua this fall. Both sports have already started practices and will have their first competition of the season on August 26.