MARSHALL, Minn. - The preseason No. 2 ranked Southwest Minnesota State University volleyball team officially opened the 2017 season on Monday with the team's first practice in the PE Gym.

SMSU, which won a share of the NSIC regular season championship and advanced to the NCAA Central Region championship match last season, opens the regular season on Sept. 1-2 at the West Florida Invite.

Terry Culhane is entering his 14th season as SMSU head coach and has a career record of 340-93.

SMSU will host its annual "Late Show" scrimmage this Thursday at the 7:30 p.m. as part of 2017 Gold Rush Days on campus. The event is free and open to the public. SMSU students attending have a chance to participate in various contests and drawings to win prizes and show off their school spirit.