Coming off two consecutive 20-win seasons, Saint Louis University volleyball kicks off the 2008 campaign with the Best Western Miami Invitational in Oxford, Ohio this weekend.

The Billikens face tournament host Miami (Ohio) in the season opener for both teams on Friday, Aug. 29, followed by two games on Saturday, Aug. 30 against MU again and Stephen F. Austin.

The MU Redhawks are coming off a 20-win campaign in 2007 and its seventh NCAA Tournament appearance.

The series between SLU and MU is tied 1-1 but the teams have not played each other since 1995.

The games in Ohio will be warm-up matches for the Billiken Invitational, a tournament held in the Chaifetz Arena on Saturday, Sept. 5.

The home tournament will prove to be the Billikens’ toughest competition of the season, as they will face off against the 2007 NCAA Championship winner: Stanford.

Additionally, the team will compete against other top schools such as Illinois University and William and Mary.

Leading the Bills into these tough matches will be head coach Anne Kordes, who enters her fifth season at SLU with a 74-49 career ledger at her only head coaching stop. Last year was her winningest campaign with 23 victories.