BRADFORD, Pa. – The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford women's volleyball team will begin its 2017 season competing in the Greyhound Premiere Invitational at Moravian College this weekend. 

The Panthers, coming off the best season in program history with 25 wins while riding an unbeaten Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference slate all the way to the NCAA Tournament, will run out a young team of 14 newcomers and seven returners.

"All these newcomers are going to have to be contributors," 2016 AMCC Coach of the Year Tom Roof said. "If the freshmen can adapt to the speed of the game and the height that they'll be playing against, then we will do great."

Six starters from 2016 will be missing this year. Filling some of their spots on the court will be freshmen, particularly Emily Cleveland, Riley Anderson and Katie Rose, who will start up front for the 2017 AMCC preseason favorite.

The lone returning starter, Erin Fagan, is going to be relied upon for experience and leadership. The senior played in all 31 matches last season and finished third on the team with 160 kills.

"We lost a lot of experience, so we're going to be looking to Erin to step up and provide some leadership as the go-to player," Roof said. "She's an experienced hitter and a nice blocker. She's a big presence out on the court."

Roof foresees his young returners, namely sophomores Sydney Shepherd (61 kills, 1.56 kills/set), Katie Sedon (28 kills, 33 digs) and Meagan Welsh (74 digs), being primed for their roles as starters on this year's squad.

The 2017 season will get started with three tournaments and just one home varsity match in the month of September before competing in the AMCC Quad on Sept. 23 at D'Youville.

"We're going to have to learn how to win on the road," Roof said. "Our toughest games are going to be on the road, so these early-season tournaments are going to be key for us."

The Panthers will have to face the conference's top contenders -- Penn Sate-Behrend (Sept. 27), Franciscan (Sept. 30) and La Roche (Oct. 21) – away from the KOA Arena.

This weekend's tournament will be a strong, early-season test for the Panthers.

The four-game showcase will begin with Friday matchups against York (21-10 in 2016) at 4 p.m. and Bard (8-27) at 8 p.m., followed by Saturday's action against Moravian (19-15) at 10 a.m. and Baldwin Wallace (24-6) at 12 p.m. 

The first home action of the season will be on Wednesday, Sept. 6, as the Panthers host Elmira.

"It's a whole new team. We are going to rely on our freshmen an awful lot," Roof concluded. "How quickly we can adapt and mesh as a team will be key. Everyone has the right mindset, knowing we are a program that competes for a conference championship, and that means we're off to the right start."