WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – Riley Schenk will be making her head coaching debut on Feb. 2 when West Liberty University's new head volleyball coach takes her Hilltoppers to South Euclid, Ohio for a mutual Mountain East Conference season opener against Notre Dame.
    Schenk spent the last two seasons as a graduate assistant with the rising WLU volleyball program but was handed the reins in September after veteran head coach Kayla Mull stepped down in order to spend more time with her family.
    That familiarity contributed to a very smooth transition as Schenk led her student-athletes through the challenges and uncertainties of dealing with the pandemic on and off the court.
    One of those uncertainties was whether there would be a volleyball season at all after the MEC was forced to postpone all fall sports over the summer while announcing tentative plans to play an abbreviated league schedule during the second semester.
    "I think we're very fortunate to have the opportunity to compete this season," Schenk said. "Even if it does look a little different with the condensed schedule and no non-conference opponents, I'm thrilled to see this team get on the court and demonstrate the potential I've seen in practice.
    "We all appreciate the Mountain East Conference's dedication to making this possible and look forward to competing at a very high level."
    Beginning with the Groundhog Day match at Notre Dame, the Black and Gold will play every Tuesday and Friday throughout the month of February. The final road match is set for March 2 at Fairmont State before closing out the regular season on March 5 with a home match against Ohio County rival Wheeling.
    The Mountain East Conference Tournament is scheduled for the following week with opening matches on March 9 followed by the "Final Four" on March 12-13.
  Feb. 2: at Notre Dame (Ohio)             7 p.m.
Feb. 5: Alderson-Broaddus                 7 p.m.
Feb. 9: Fairmont State                         7 p.m.
Feb. 12: at Frostburg State                 7 p.m.
Feb. 16: Notre Dame (Ohio)               7 p.m.
Feb. 19: at Wheeling                            7 p.m.
Feb. 23: at Alderson-Broaddus          7 p.m.
Feb. 26: Frostburg State                      7 p.m.
March 2: at Fairmont State                7 p.m.
March 5: Wheeling                               7 p.m.
March 9: MEC Tournament                TBA
March 12: MEC Semifinals                  TBA
March 13: MEC Championship           TBA