CLINTON, Iowa - The Ashford University volleyball program welcomed back some familiar faces to mesh with the current team as the Saints' annual Players vs. Alumni Scrimmage last Friday evening turned out to be another great success.

With record numbers projected to fill the roster for the Saints this season, the parents and fans in attendance were able to get a sneak preview before the regular season gets underway Aug. 27 at the Mt. Mercy University Tournament.

About a total of 14 former Ashford/Mount St. Clare College/The Franciscan University graduates filled Kehl Arena with action taking place on two courts. A handful then enjoyed dinner together after the scrimmage.

"It was a great time to laugh, converse and reminisce about the good old days," AU Head Coach Micah Cewe said. "You can still see the fire in many of their eyes even though their playing days are over. They have built and established our program to where it is today and we thank them for their contributions."

Laughs from the Alumni pregame stemmed from conversation revolving around how sore they would be the following morning.

Alumni with graduation years ranging from 1994 to 2009 showed up and provided plenty of competition against Cewe's new-look Saints.

Tiffany Harris, one of the ‘94 graduates, is a seasoned veteran in the university's alumni events and expressed her enthusiasm afterwards about getting the opportunities to come back to her alma mater to play competitively.

Harris showed some of her veteran guile during a portion of the scrimmage in which she tried to kick the ball following a serve and later threw the ball over -- all with a bashful smile and hearty laugh.

"It's always great to see some of the old faces out there," said Harris, who currently works as a certified prevention specialist in Clinton County. "I really enjoy my time out there. I'm a jokester. I'd love to see this tradition continue."

The Saints will host an intrasquad scrimmage tomorrow evening in Kehl Arena at 6 p.m.