TAYLORSVILLE, Utah (September 20, 2017) – Success and acclaim found the eighth-ranked Salt Lake Community College volleyball program during the preseason, but now it's time for the Bruins to turn their attention to the task at hand – continuing their reign as a power in the Scenic West Athletic Conference.
 
Yes, the Bruins closed the preseason last Saturday in Las Vegas, gaining a dramatic win over ninth-ranked Seward County Community College in the process. Salt Lake finished the preseason at 13-3, going 4-0 in two different preseason tournaments (Crystal Classic and CSN tourney). The Bruins also earned wins over a handful of nationally-ranked foes and swept 10-of-16 matches.
 
SLCC coach Sue Dulaney said the program gained a variety of different positive experiences in the preseason.
 
"We have complete our preseason and finished with one of the best records in years," she said. "Half of our opponents have been ranked teams and we will need that preparation as we head into conference play. Lessons have been learned along the way and the team chemistry has grown."
 
Still, there is room for SLCC to improve and the Bruins will need to continue improving if they are to succeed over a packed and powerful SWAC field. Several programs have received national attention, with Salt Lake, Snow College and College of Southern Idaho serving as the premier programs in the conference when it comes to national polls. The Bruins know both of those opponents well, with a matchup between SLCC and CSI going Salt Lake's way last season in the Region 18 championship match.
 
Before the talk of championships and postseason runs can begin though, it first has to start with focusing on the task at hand- this weekend's SWAC opener. The Bruins will play two matches on the weekend, facing off against Snow College on Friday and College of Southern Nevada on Saturday.
 
Snow is at 15-2 after the preseason, with its only losses coming against opponents the Bruins beat (Seward County and New Mexico Military Institute). The Bruins and Badgers played in three of the same preseason tourneys, with the Bruins going 2-1 against Snow College in the 2016 season.
 
College of Southern Nevada sits at 3-14 on the season; however, the Coyotes went 3-1 in the tourney they hosted last weekend. Before that, CSN started the season on an 0-13 slide before earning a 3-0 win over Victor Valley Community College last weekend.
 
Dulaney said the two programs will present different challenges for Salt Lake this upcoming weekend.
 
"We're excited to start conference play at home, as it's been a few years since we've had that opportunity," she said. "The conference this year is the strongest I've witnessed in ten years, so it should be an interesting season."
 
Friday's match against Snow College is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. start inside Bruin Arena, while Saturday's match against Southern Nevada is scheduled for a 3:00 p.m. start. Live stats will be available at slccbruins.com, and fans can watch the matches at live.ksl.com.