In her 27 years as volleyball coach, Denise Van De Walle knows a thing or two about Anderson Arena.

She knows exactly why its nickname is what it is, too.

‘This is The House That Roars,’ she enthusiastically said. ‘The place really does roar. We’ve got to get some fans in the stands. We want to set the tone for a very exciting season, so we have to defend our house.’

Van De Walle will bring her 6-1 squad into the only gym she’s known tonight at 7 to begin the Best Western Falcon Invitational, hosting teams University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Northern Iowa University (12:30 p.m. tomorrow) and Robert Morris University (7 p.m. tomorrow).

In the past two seasons, BG is 22-3 at home and has an active nine-match winning streak in Anderson Arena. It is not an easy place to play for the opponents, as they hit just .198 in 12 matches last year.

But while it may not be the easiest place for visitors to play, Van De Walle can’t underestimate any team.

‘Every match is going to be very competitive,’ she said. ‘I think every team is looking for revenge and they all have a chip on their shoulders.’

The Falcons will open up the tournament with Wisconsin-Green Bay, a team that has struggled thus far this season. They have lost five of their six matches. As a team, they are hitting just .197 and have had a lot of trouble at the net.

A year ago, Northern Iowa made it to the NCAA playoffs under 10th year coach Bobbi Peterson. They were picked to finish third in the Missouri Valley Conference preseason poll and are off to a strong start this season.

With their impressive resume, Van De Walle is concerned about the Panthers.

‘On paper, they’re the team to beat,’ she said. ‘They are a great team. To have a team of their caliber come into Anderson Arena is great.’

Robert Morris has lost four straight entering the tournament, but has played against some tough competition, including No. 1 Pennsylvania State University. They have been strong at the net and have five players on their team with at least 14 blocks.

During practice all week, the Falcons have been working on passing and blocking, an area that has been streaky at times.

Now that school is back in session, Van De Walle has noticed a bit of a difference in the team.

‘I can tell that school has started back up,’ she said. ‘Now, there’s more taking up their time. In practice, sometimes it’s tough for (the team) to be at full energy if they we up studying late the night before.’

But even with school in session, the team still shows a great amount of excitement for being home again.

‘That’s all they’ve been talking about all week,’ Van De Walle said. ‘The girls talk about playing in front of friends, family and professors all the time.’

While the team is very excited for their home opener, Van De Walle isn’t afraid to show her excitement, too.

‘I really hope the student body comes out and supports the team,’ she said. ‘We have to defend The House That Roars.’