Five games against teams which played in the 2012 NCAA Tournament, plus a season opener at the ARC against Indiana, highlight the Valparaiso women's basketball team's 2012-2013 schedule as released on Friday. The Crusaders will be embarking on their first season under the guidance of head coach Tracey Dorow.

The non-league schedule, which was released earlier this week exclusively on the team's official Twitter feed (@ValpoWBB), starts with one exhibition game, as the Crusaders host Holy Cross (Ind.) on Nov. 5. The regular season then begins Friday evening, Nov. 9 as Valpo hosts Indiana at the ARC at 5 p.m. The Crusaders close out the season-opening homestand on Wednesday night, Nov. 14 against Purdue Calumet.

Valpo then starts out on a four-game road trip with a pair of games down in Indianapolis against former conference foes, as the Crusaders face IUPUI on Saturday, Nov. 17 and Butler on Monday, Nov. 19. A trip to Duke, a program perennially ranked among the nation's top 10 and which advanced to the Elite Eight of the 2012 NCAA Tournament, awaits on Friday, Nov. 23, while the road trip closes at former Mid-Con rival Western Illinois on Tuesday, Nov. 27.

A brief return home to the ARC on Saturday, Dec. 1 against Saint Louis is followed by another four-game road trip, which kicks off Tuesday, Dec. 4 at IPFW. The Crusaders travel to play Louisville, which won its first-round game in the NCAA Tournament in 2012, on Saturday, Dec. 8. Following a break for finals, Valpo will play back-to-back games on the road, taking on Western Michigan on Wednesday, Dec. 19, followed by a game at 2012 NCAA Tournament qualifier Michigan on Thursday, Dec. 20.

The non-league schedule concludes with a pair of home games on either side of the New Year, as Valpo hosts Ball State on Saturday, Dec. 29 and Northern Illinois on Friday, Jan. 4 at the ARC. The 16-game, double round robin Horizon League schedule opens at home on Saturday, Jan. 12 against Youngstown State and concludes at the ARC on Saturday, Mar. 9 versus Detroit, as the Crusaders play each of the other eight league schools, both home and away. The Horizon League Championship is set for Mar. 11-17, with the tournament champion earning the league's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.