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CHARLESTON, S.C. – The long awaited start to the 2021 season is finally here as The Citadel volleyball team welcomes Idaho State to McAlister Field House on Sept. 7. First serve is set for 6 p.m. and will be streamed live on ESPN+.
 
Opening at Home
Tuesday's match will mark the seventh time in program history the Bulldogs will open the season at home. The Citadel is 3-3 in previous six matches, but have won each of the last three matches.
 
One Last Ride
Senior Sharlissa de Jesus returns for one final season to continue to put her name in the school's record book. She is already the school's all-time leader with 1,409 kills, and ranks sixth all-time with 1,117 digs. She is also fourth all-time with 145 service aces.
 
Newcomers
The Bulldogs welcome a trio of newcomers for the 2021 season in middle blocker Sadie Gomez, setter Belle Hogan and outside hitter Ali Ruffin. All three players could make an immediate impact.
 
Scouting Idaho State
The Bengals have played five matches on the season. They opened the season by going 1-2 at the Bengal Invitational, and then went 1-1 at the Incarnate Word Invite. Tuesday's match is the first of five matches to be played in the Lowcountry this week. ISU will take on Charleston Southern on Wednesday, before playing three matches at the CofC Classic this weekend.
 
The Bengals are led offensively by Kennedee Tracy's 44 kills. Sadie Bluth is second on the team with 37, followed by Kaia Rhoses with 34. Aliyah Sopoaga runs the offense and has 116 assists, while twin sister Asiah has a team-high 66 digs.
 
Up Next
The Bulldogs make the short trip to North Charleston to participate in the Buccaneer Invitational. The Citadel will face Northern Illinois at 6 p.m. on Sept. 10, and then take on Bethune-Cookman Saturday at 12 p.m. and Charleston Southern at 7 p.m.
 
For more information and score updates on The Citadel volleyball team, please visit CitadelSports.com or follow @CitadelVB on Twitter and @CitadelVolleyball on Instagram.
 
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