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 If you consider yourself a Valparaiso sports fan and you weren't in the crowd during Sunday's home opener against the Michigan women's soccer team, then you truly missed out on a great atmosphere.

While soccer might still be struggling to catch on in the United States, there is no question that footie is alive and well on Valparaiso's campus.

Sunday afternoon was like a Who's Who in Valparaiso athletics. Upon arrival, I saw the men's soccer team gathering in a pack, and when I say gathering, I mean it. Coach Mike Avery has more than 40 players on his roster this season. The team jogged down and set up shop behind the Michigan goalie and kept a steady stream of cheers going throughout the first half. The energy of the men's team seemed to ignite the Crusaders in the early going as senior Jessie White ripped off a shot right in front of the crowd that found the head of freshman Rachel Hoaglin and then the back of the net in the sixth minute of the game.  

White told me after the match that part of the reason she took the shot was because of the energy she was feeling from the crowd.

Plenty of the VU athletic "celebs" were in attendance for the first official contest of the season for any team. Women's basketball coach Keith Freeman was marveling at the potential of the freshmen on the field while holding court with his own freshmen class of Skyler Gick, Laura Richards, Gina Lange and Raegan Moore.

The men's basketball team had a strong showing as junior Mike Rogers and sophomore Cameron Witt brought a large number of their new teammates including the recently-arrived Ryan Broekhoff (who looks smaller than I thought he would) and Brandon Wood (who looks bigger than I thought he would). Rogers is quite the soccer fan and he could be heard offering strategy throughout the match.

Former women's soccer coach Stephen Anthony was on hand with all 12 members of the new VU women's bowling team which he will coach this season.

I've never looked at attendance figures for the soccer teams before, but I have to think that the 617 that showed up on Sunday was easily a school-record. Sure, a lot of it had to do with the opponent being Michigan and it being the first time that many of the students in the crowd had seen each other all summer, but coach John Marovich was on cloud nine after the match.

"This was clearly the best atmosphere that we've ever had at a Valparaiso soccer match," Marovich said.

The Crusaders may have lost on the scoreboard, but they certainly won over the fans.

Valparaiso's next home match is on Friday against Northern Illinois at 4 p.m.

Not only are the Crusaders playing the defending National Champion North Carolina, but they've also added National Runner-up Michigan State to the schedule this year. It looks like Drew really does want to keep this streak of playing the No. 1 team in the country going for a sixth straight year.

Without Kansas or Kentucky on the schedule this season, I think it will be hard to get the No. 1 team again, but at least one national publication (Sports Illustrated) has the Spartans as the top preseason team.

Here is what Drew had to say about some of the games on the upcoming schedule...

On opening the season on the road against Ball State (11/13)...

"It's a good interstate rivalry and with their coaching staff, they just keep getting better and better every year. We love to play them because they are an interstate team."

"Going to Butler is always a good venue for the fans. Our games are always close and very entertaining and they've been down to the wire at both places. I don't feel like we're getting it out of the way by any means. They are going to be tough to play regardless of when we play them."

On the lack of a big-name opponent on the non-conference home schedule this year...

"It's very difficult to get someone to come in (and play us). The Horizon League is one of the top mid-majors in the country and I think this year, the Horizon League could be the best it has been as far as the balance goes and we might even be able to overtake the Missouri Valley as the best mid-major conference in the country."

"It's a nice thing to be able to put a game in where all the players have a chance to get in and play. You can never take anyone lightly, but we'll try to get everyone involved in those games."

On a brutal stretch in Horizon League play which has the Crusaders going to UIC/Loyola one weekend and then Milwaukee/Green Bay the next...

"You'd always like to be able to do your own (conference) scheduling where you could do two home, two away, two home, two away and so on, but the nice thing is that over a period of four years, everything evens out. With 17 road games, by that point of the season, hopefully we're prepared to play on the road."

"There is a stat that you only win 35 percent of basketball games on the road. If you look at baseball, soccer, football and then look at basketball, it's the hardest of anyone of those sports. It might be good that we have so many away games, so by the time conference play starts, we'll be ready."

Well, there you have it with the schedule. A common theme in my conversation with Drew was that the Crusaders are playing 17 road games next season. It seems that each year there is a common theme that works against Valparaiso. Two years ago it was that there was eight freshmen/sophomores on the roster. Last year it was that so many players left the program or were hurt. This year, it's the amount of road games. I don't mean to imply anything other than this could be a long year with lots of travel for the Crusaders. 

On the topic of the three games that are TBA on the schedule from Nov.27-29, Drew couldn't say much other than they were apart of the Legends Classic. The Crusaders are actually playing Michigan State as part of the Legends Classic, and then while the Spartans travel to New Jersey to take on the likes of Florida, Rutgers and UMass, Valparaiso will travel down to Georgia to take on a series of opponents that Drew doesn't even know yet. The Gators are playing Georgia Southern during their home leg of the Legends Classic, so perhaps that is an opponent/host for the second portion of the "tournament." I still find it funny that even if the Crusaders beat Michigan State, the Spartans are the ones that advance to the Legends Classic semifinals.

As for the team itself, the players are starting to roll back onto campus following a two-week break after the second summer session. Sophomore Cameron Witt was in the gym by himself today while freshman Tommy Kurth was shooting around earlier in the week. Once school starts, the coaching staff can work with the players in groups of four or less for two hours a week on the basketball floor. Additionally, the coaching staff can spend two hours a week on footwork/conditioning and four more hours a week in the weight room until October 17 when practice officially beings. -- Paul Oren

Nov. 1 vs. Indianapolis (exhibition), 4 p.m.
Nov. 13 at Ball State, TBA
Nov. 15 at North Carolina, TBA
Nov. 19 vs. IU-South Bend, 7:05 p.m.
Nov. 22 at Michigan State, TBA
Nov. 27 TBA
Nov. 28 TBA
Nov. 29 TBA
Dec. 5 at Butler, 1 p.m.
Dec. 9 at Purdue, TBA
Dec. 12 vs. Toledo, 2 p.m.
Dec. 19 vs. Concordia (Wis.), 7:05 p.m.
Dec. 22 at IPFW, 6 p.m.
Dec. 27 at Akron, 4 p.m.
Dec. 31 vs. Milwaukee, 7:05 p.m.
Jan. 2 Green Bay, 7:05 p.m.
Jan. 7 at Detroit, 6 p.m.
Jan. 9 at Wright State, 6 p.m.
Jan. 14 vs. Youngstown State, 7:05 p.m.
Jan. 16 vs. Cleveland State, 7:05 p.m.
Jan. 21 at UIC, 7 p.m.
Jan. 23 at Loyola, TBA
Jan. 29 at Milwaukee, 7 p.m.
Jan. 31 at Green Bay, 1 p.m.
Feb. 4 vs. Wright State, 7:05 p.m.
Feb. 6 vs. Detroit, 7:05 p.m.
Feb. 8 vs. UIC, 7:05 p.m.
Feb. 11 at Cleveland State, TBA
Feb. 13 at Youngstown State, TBA
Feb. 17 vs. Loyola, 7:05 p.m.
Feb. 20 at ESPNU Bracketbuster, TBA
Feb. 26 vs. Butler, TBA
Mar. 2 to Mar. 9 - Horizon League Championships, TBA

In a poll released on Tuesday, the Crusader volleyball team received two first-place votes and was picked to finish second behind Milwaukee. The Panthers received the other seven first-place votes.

On paper, it looks like the Crusaders lose a lot from last season with the graduations of Brittany Malicoat, Allison Sears and Jill Meyer. That being said, when you throw in talented freshmen Mary Dent and Taylor Root, along with the maturation of sophomores Katie Britton and Jenny Pokorny, coach Carin Avery should have a pretty solid team this season.

Stay tuned next week when I have a further breakdown of the Valparaiso volleyball team. -- Paul Oren

For some teams, like Homer Drew and the Valparaiso men's basketball team, moving on from last season's 9-22 debacle is a welcome change. For others, such as Keith Freeman and the women's basketball team, changing the calendar means saying goodbye to one of the most talented classes in school history. 

Aimee Litka, Agnieszka Kulaga and Leah and Launa Hochstetler probably won't make it into the VU Hall of Fame and they didn't exactly rewrite the record books, but their contributions to the basketball program were measured far beyond points per game and wins and losses. 

In regards to the well-liked quartet, Freeman could go one of two ways in reacting to their departure. He could sit in his office and rewatch the greatest hits of the 2008-09 season, including wins over Purdue, Bowling Green and Florida State, or he could get right back to work and continue to build a program that will thrive regardless of the roster makeup.

Two years ago, when Tamra Braun, Carrie Myers and Betsy Rietema graduated, the team was in a similar situation. Three professionally-talented players were off the roster and someone had to pick up the pieces. Enter Litka, Kulaga and the Hochstetlers, who made the team their own as juniors. 

Now with that group gone, a new crop of players are left to lead the charge. It begins with ultra-talented freshman point guard Skyler Gick, who originally was set for Northwestern before a coaching change, and persistent recruiting by Freeman, led her to Valparaiso. 

Gick has been on campus all summer with the rest of her freshmen running mates, including fellow guard Laura Richards and post players Raegan Moore and Gina Lange. I've had the chance to watch these four play together a lot this summer and if we're still blogging four years from now, I won't be surprised if you see a similar posting about this quartet when they graduate in 2013. 

The talent level on the 2009-10 Crusaders certainly doesn't stop with the freshmen. Seniors Whitney Farris, Lauren Kenney and Sylwia Zabielewicz are all a year older and ready to lead the charge, especially Farris, who becomes the defacto leader of the team. Farris has been on campus all summer and is playing her role as the elder statesmen. Kenney and Zabielewicz are wildcards as injuries and foul trouble could minimize their effectiveness. At the same time, if Kenney plays like she did in the early season and Zabielewicz displays the toughness she had against Detroit, next year this year could be a special year. 

My final point, and the main reason for me sitting down at the computer today, is that Freeman continues to impress with his recruiting. Stop in the office during the summer and your lucky to find the man. There are no vacations when you work in college basketball, unless you count a 28-hour stop in Las Vegas, where you're jammed into a small high school gym with 1,200 AAU teams and every coach in the business looking for the next diamond in the rough.

All the red eyes, all the phone calls, all the lonesome meals on the road. Coaches will tell you it's worth it when you land the player. Freeman, like most coaches, does his work during the summer. When the school year starts, it's time for the season to start. That being said, it's no surprise that the Crusaders have landed two verbal commitments already. Earlier this summer, Mooresville's Liz Horton made her intentions clear that she was coming to Valparaiso and on Monday, Valpo High's Stefanie Lang told Freeman that she'd be moving across town next year. NCAA rules prohibit coaches from commenting on a player until a National Letter of Intent is signed, but I can tell you that I was driving through Florida on Monday and I'm fairly certain I heard screams of excitement coming 1,200 miles from the northwest.   

Sure, the talented seniors from last year's squad are gone, but if Freeman's recent recruiting haul is any indication, the players coming in will grow to become just as talented and the cycle of talented women's basketball in Valparaiso will continue into the next decade. -- Paul Oren