Aug. 6, 2001

DALLAS, Texas - Baylor's women's volleyball team departed from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport Monday morning, bound for the land of sushi and Fuji. Coming off a 16-15 season and a seventh-place finish in the rigorous Big 12 Conference, the Bears will spend the next two weeks training in Japan in preparation for the 2001 season.

"This is an excellent opportunity for our team," head coach Brian Hosfeld said. "Japan has long been home to the most innovative and technically sound volleyball teams in the world. The ability to train in that environment should produce tremendous dividends as the season unfolds."

Baylor will spend Aug. 7 through Aug. 11 training with the Tohoku Fukushi University in Sendai, Japan. From there, the Bears will head to Tendo/Yamagata, Japan, to train with the Pioneer Red Wings, one of the top professional teams in Japan coached by volleyball legend Arie Selinger. The team will return to Waco Aug. 17 in time for the beginning of the fall semester.

With five seniors, Baylor boasts a veteran squad in 2001. The Bears will see their first action two weeks after returning to the United States, traveling to New Orleans, La., for the NOKIA Sugar Bowl Tournament hosted by Tulane University. Baylor will face Nevada-Las Vegas Aug. 31 with matches against Louisiana State and the host Green Wave the following day.

Fans will get their first look at the 2001 Bears when the team holds its Green and Gold Scrimmage at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 25 in the Ferrell Center. Along with the match, Hosfeld will walk fans through the rules changes for the upcoming season. The NCAA has adopted the international scoring format in which all games are rally score to 30 with the fifth game being to 15.