The University of Dayton volleyball team returned to the Frericks Center on Saturday, April 17 for its annual spring tournament.

UD hosted an alumni team, Ohio University and the University of Cincinnati for the entire day event. The series of games were the first played at the recently renovated Frericks court since the end of the regular season in late November.

The spring tournament was just the start of a year of high hopes for the volleyball team coming off its Atlantic-10 championship. They also advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in as many years, falling in the second round to Illinois.

"Obviously we are trying to get some hype going," head coach Kelly Sheffield said. "I enjoy being around this group; they work hard, and they want to do the right things on the court."

The team went 2-1 in the four-team tournament, losing its early morning match against Cincinnati before prevailing in its final two matches. The most entertaining of them all was its final three-set match against the alumni team.

The current Dayton squad won the first set 26-24 before tripping up in the second by the count of 20-25. The alumni then recorded the first four points in the tiebreaker, but the Flyers of 2010 were too much as they roared back for the 15-13 victory.

That victory was just the start of what will be a long next four months for the Dayton volleyball team. Junior Amanda Cowdrey said the team will spend the first summer session on campus to study and practice with the assistant coaches.

Cowdrey seemed even more excited to get back on the court. One of five soon-to-be seniors, she will be called upon to lead an experience-laden team throughout next season.

UD will then be one of the regional hosts for the NCAA Tournament this coming year. As one of four schools to host the round of 16 and quarterfinal games, there also remains a chance that the Flyers could eventually play at home in these games.

"Certainly if you are bringing in that regional, you would love to be playing in it," Sheffield said. "Elite teams pay more attention to the process, so we can't get too caught up in just that result."

Middle blocker Lindsay Fletemier would be one of the reasons Dayton could advance to the second weekend of the tournament. She is a member of the prestigious USA Volleyball A2 team for the second straight year and hopes to play for the national team following her senior season.

As the A-10 Co-Player of the Year last season, she is a huge part of the UD attack. Fletemier said in the middle of the spring tournament Saturday that only the team itself can stop itself from having a historic year.

Coach Sheffield said that it is important for the team to enter the summer with specific items for improvement. The season will start August 27-28 in the annual Dayton Flyer Classic against Arizona State, Pittsburgh and Virginia Commonwealth.