The ISU volleyball team opens their season this weekend with the Nanook Classic, a tournament held on the campus of the University of Alaska at Fairbanks.

While the competition will not compare to the challenges of the Big 12 season, the Cyclones will have some tough opponents.

Head Coach Kerry Miller and her team open the tourney against the UNLV Rebels.

The Rebels, led by third year Head Coach Deitre Collins, finished last season with a record of 9-18 (2-14 in the Western Athletic Conference). Collins was also the coach of the U.S. Junior National Team, which she led to a gold medal this past summer at the NORCECA Zonal Championships.

The Rebels are anchored by Senior setter Meri-de Boyer. Boyer led UNLV with 8.77 assists and 2.98 digs per game last year.

The Rebels’ top hitter is 5-11 Junior Angie Sylvas. Before suffering a season-ending knee-injury in ’97, Sylvas was leading the team in kills with 4.46 per game.

Other big names on the Rebel roster include outside hitters Christel Eves and Danielle Gerlach and middle blocker Michele Peoples.

UNLV may improve on last season’s record, but only by a game or two. The Rebels have a number of talented individuals but shouldn’t be too much for the Cyclones to handle.

In the second game of the round-robin tournament, ISU takes on the Duke Blue Devils.

Duke finished last year at 15-16 but managed a 9-7 conference record in the ACC.

Head Coach Linda Grensing and her staff were not happy with last year’s mediocre numbers and are eager to overcome predictions of a repeat performance.

Senior Megan Irvine is the Blue Devils’ top gun. Considered the team’s best competitor, she led Duke last season with 108 blocks and was second with 324 kills.

Junior Sarah Peifer is considered by the coaching staff the Blue Devils’ “on-court” leader. Peifer led the team last season in kills (413), digs (447) and service aces (43).

Other big hitters on the Blue Devils include Jami Ediger and Dominique Philipp.

Ediger had 264 kills, 164 digs and 92 blocks last year. Philipp’s totals included 252 kills, 156 digs and 67 blocks.

The only void on this talented Duke squad is at the setter position. The Blue Devils must find someone to replace all-time Blue Devil assist leader Kristen Campbell.

Duke will make for better competition than UNLV and may even be notch above the Cyclones, but they certainly aren’t in another league.

The final competition for ISU this weekend will be Alaska-Fairbanks, the tournament’s host school.

The Nanooks managed only a 6-21 record last year under Head Coach Tim Brown.

They will have the advantage this weekend of playing at home, but UAF is only a Division 2 school. Facing decent Division 1 competition should be more than the Nanooks can handle.

The top performers on the 1998 Alaska-Fairbanks team include middle blocker Jenny Kirst and outside hitter Colleen Smith. Setter Kamilah Webb and blocker Melissa Smith complete a lineup that may be competitive in the Division 2 ranks this season.

Kirst has already demonstrated some ability, registering 47 kills, 31 digs and 18 blocks in the Humboldt State Kickoff Classic last week. The performance earned her a spot on the All-Tournament team.

The Cyclones may not sweep their competition this weekend, but they should return home a close-knit team after the long journey to Alaska. They should also pick up their first victory of the season with relative ease — and maybe even their first tournament crown.