OXFORD, Ohio - The two-time defending Mid-American Conference Champion Miami RedHawks are ready to begin the 2018 season when they host their annual Best Western Sycamore Inn Invitational this weekend. On Friday, the RedHawks will face Saint Louis at 6 p.m. On Saturday, Miami takes on UC Santa Barbara at 10 a.m. and finishes up with a match against rival Cincinnati at 7:30 p.m. All three matches will air live on the ESPN+ subscription service.

NEED TO KNOW INFO: Tickets for the Miami Invitational are All-Day sessions that can be purchased online for $8.50. Tickets for Friday's matches can be purchased HERE. Tickets for Saturday's matches can be purchased HERE. Parking is free for all matches.

PROMOS FRIDAY: The entire incoming freshmen class will be attending the match against Saint Louis on Friday. The RedHawks will have several promotions throughout the night.

• Special guest coach Wil Haygood – Well regarded author Wil Haygood is debuting his seventh novel TIGERLAND: 1968-1969, A City Divided, a Nation Torn Apart, and a Magical Season of Healing at Miami University this weekend and is speaking at the convocation earlier Friday.  He will be in attendance at the match against Saint Louis and will give the honorary first serve to open the RedHawks' season
• 2017 Banner Reveal - Prior to the match, the banner honoring Miami volleyball as 2017 MAC Regular Season and Tournament champions will be revealed!

GIVEAWAYS FRIDAY: Several giveaways will be available on Friday

• All fans in attendance will receive a red and white pom-pom.
• There will be a special giveaway for Code Red members.
• There will be an opportunity to win Beats Headphones by following all Miami social media platforms.

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    ESPN Customer Support Available: 9am to 1am ET, 7 days a week ABOUT SAINT LOUIS: The Billikens are coming off a season in which they were 13-15 overall and tied for fourth with a 10-4 record in the Atlantic 10. They return four starters and 11 letterwinners from last season's team. Saint Louis' top returning player is sophomore outside hitter Maya Taylor. She had a team-leading 347 kills in 2017, an average of 3.51 per set. Another key returner is junior outside hitter Sien Gallop. She recorded 299 kills, an average of 2.99 per set. The Billikens won their exhibition match, 3-2, over Western Illinois on Aug. 14. Taylor had 18 kills, while Gallop finished with 13 in that contest.

SERIES WITH BILLIKENS: Saint Louis holds a 5-4 lead in the all-time series with Miami. The RedHawks have won the last two matches however, including a 3-2 victory on Aug. 27, 2016 in Ann Arbor, Michigan at the Michigan Invitational. Maris Below led Miami with 13 kills, while Maeve McDonald recorded 33 digs.

ABOUT UC SANTA BARBARA: The Gauchos return five starters and 11 letterwinners from a team that went 8-20 overall and finished tied for fifth in the Big West with a 7-9 record. For UC Santa Barbara, everything revolves around redshirt junior outside hitter Lindsey Ruddins. She has earned honorable mention All-America status from the AVCA each of the past two seasons. Last season she put down 526 kills. She averaged 5.84 kills per set, which led all of NCAA Division I.

SERIES WITH GAUCHOS: This is first ever meeting between Miami and UC Santa Barbara.

ABOUT CINCINNATI: The Bearcats return four starters and nine letterwinners from a squad that went 13-19 overall and finished sixth in the American Athletic Conference with an 11-9 record. Expectations were high in for UC last season after earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament in 2016, but a preseason injury to their All-American right side Jordan Thompson derailed them. With Thompson back in 2018, Cincinnati is expected to contend once again in the AAC. Thompson was named Preseason Player of the Year. She joins the Bearcats top returner from last season, senior outside hitter Carly Nolan. Nolan recorded 473 kills in 2017, an average of 4.08 kills per set.

SERIES WITH BEARCATS: Cincinnati holds a 22-14 lead in the all-time series with the RedHawks. Miami earned a 3-0 victory at Cincinnati in their last meeting on Sept. 14, 2016, in a match that turned out to be in key in earning the Red and White an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament that season. Stela Kukoc put down 10 kills to lead Miami to the victory.