The Ohio Northern volleyball team is set to open its 2017 campaign with the 39th Annual ONU Invitational on Sept. 1-2 at the ONU Sports Center under 27th-year head coach Kate Witte.

After opening the season with the two day invitational, the Polar Bears will travel to Bloomington, Ill. to compete in the Illinois Wesleyan Invitational Sept. 8-9.

Northern will then take on area-rival Bluffton on Sept. 13 before traveling to Springfield to compete in the Wittenberg Invitational Sept. 15-16. 

ONU returns to the ONU Sports Center on Sept. 20 as they play host to Kenyon.

The schedule also features non-conference home matchups with Rose-Hulman (Ind.) and Albion (Mich.) on Oct. 13.

Northern will compete in the HCAC/OAC Challenge Sept. 22-23 and travel to Denison on Sept. 26 before opening the Ohio Athletic Conference portion of the schedule with a home contest with Mount Union on Sept. 30.

Other home OAC contests feature Otterbein on Oct. 4, John Carroll on Oct. 14, Muskingum on Oct. 21, and Baldwin Wallace on Oct. 24.

The Polar Bears will travel to OAC-foes Capital on Oct. 4, Heidelberg on Oct. 10, Wilmington on Oct. 17 and wrap up the regular season at Marietta on Oct. 27.

The OAC Tournament is slated for Oct. 31-Nov. 4.

Northern posted a 27-4 overall record and a perfect 9-0 record in the OAC in 2016 and advanced to the first round of the NCAA III Tournament.