ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The Central Washington University volleyball team is set to open its season at the Concordia University Volleyball Tournament in St. Paul, Minnesota on Sept. 4 and 5. 
 
"We are obviously excited to start playing against someone other than ourselves.  I feel like we are in a good place physically," head coach Mario Andaya said.  "The competition is at a very high level, which we need to be ready for.  Our preparation over the past week has gotten us ready to do some good things."
 
The Wildcats will open the tournament against Winona State.  The Warriors finished 2014 with a 19-8 record and a 14-6 mark in NSIC play.  Winona State went 8-2 at home and 3-1 in neutral courts.  The Wildcats are 1-0 against Winona State.  The only meeting between the two came in 2004, with CWU taking a 3-1 victory.
 
Central Washington's second match will be against tournament host Concordia University St. Paul.  The Golden Bears were eliminated in the NCAA Tournament last season, ending their national championship run at seven years.  Concordia finished the 2014 season with a 27-6 record, including an 18-2 record in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference games.  Their play in 2014 earned them a No. 2 ranking in the AVCA Preseason Coaches Poll.  Central Washington is 0-1 versus Concordia University St. Paul.  The Wildcats met the Golden Bears in 2008 during Concordia's second national championship season. 
 
The final match in the tournament for the Wildcats will be against Palm Beach Atlantic University.  The Sailfish are No. 15 in the AVCA Preseason Coaches Poll after a 2014 season that landed them in the NCAA Regional Tournament.  Palm Beach Atlantic was eliminated by the defending national champions, University of Tampa.  This will be the first time Palm Beach Atlantic and Central Washington will face each other on the court.
 
"We are excited to play out of our region for the first time in a while, against some good competition," Andaya said.  "It will give us a feel for where we are nationally before we start competing regionally."
 
Andaya nabbed his 300^th career win with the Wildcats 3-0 win over Montana State University Billings at the end of 2014.  Central Washington ended the 2014 regular season 5-1 in their last six matches.
 
Catie Fry will look to build off her second consecutive NCAA Division II All-American season.  Fry totaled 1,041 assists, averaging 10.52 assists per set.  She also finished fifth with 87 kills, earning her All-Great Northwest honors.
 
The Wildcats will face off against two AVCA Top 25 teams during their opening tournament, as they look to get the 2015 season off to a good start.