Homecoming to many is a once-a-year tradition requiring a host of arrangements.

Hotels are booked.

Cars are rented.

Schedules are cleared.

And many miles are traveled.

But for Ashley Deignan, missing Homecoming has become a tradition in itself.

The senior volleyball player from Louisville has gone her entire collegiate career without participating in Western’s Homecoming festivities.

And this year won’t be any different.

Deignan, along with the rest of her teammates and Western’s women’s swim team, will not be on campus during Homecoming because of scheduled competition.

The Lady Topper volleyball team will be on a two-game road trip in Florida starting with Florida International on Friday and finishing with Florida Atlantic on Saturday, Homecoming day.

The Lady Topper swim team will swim at Xavier on Friday and Miami (Ohio) on Homecoming day.

“I’ve never tailgated,” Deignan said. “It kinda stinks hearing how much fun people have. I wish I could experience that in my college years, but I have had a lot more fun with volleyball.”

Unlike the volleyball team, the women’s swim team was on campus last year during Homecoming. Senior swim team captain Kristin Hopkins said she enjoyed Homecoming last year and that takes some of the sting out of missing it this year.

“It’s a little disappointing,” Hopkins said. “But swimming in Florida isn’t a bad way to spend Homecoming.”

Though some student athletes miss out on Homecoming and other events, there is little that can be done to avoid such conflicts.

Volleyball coach Travis Hudson said no matter how much he wants his team to be a part of the Homecoming experience, the Sun Belt Conference has control over the scheduling.

“It’s kind of out of our hands,” Hudson said. “It is really luck of the draw as far as if we are here for Homecoming or not. We miss it more often than not.”

The Lady Toppers themselves are not the only part of the volleyball team that misses out on the Homecoming festivities each year.

Hudson himself has an insider view of what Western’s Homecoming is all about. As a 1994 graduate from Western, Hudson can’t reunite with old friends who come to town for the event.

Even if the volleyball team is home during Homecoming, it doesn’t mean that the Lady Toppers can roam free through the Homecoming party.

Western usually has a home match scheduled during the weekend. At best, Hudson and the team can make the second half of the football game.

“I really miss it. I miss it a lot,” Hudson said. “There are people that become friends here that life takes in different directions. Homecoming is that one weekend where you can almost really count on seeing them again. It is something that I really hate to miss out on.”

While the volleyball team and the women’s swim team are away, the other student athletes can be a part of Homecoming.

Western’s men’s swim team, men’s soccer team and women’s soccer team will all be on campus to celebrate with the Western faithful.

Both soccer teams play Friday. The men’s team plays at home against Evansville at 7 p.m.

The women’s team plays on the road against Middle Tennessee State at 7:30 p.m.

Senior Lady Topper soccer player Jenna Silverberg is glad to be able to attend Homecoming.

“It is my senior year so I enjoy the atmosphere,” Silverberg said. “Just being around my team, we will have a tent out and all the alumni coming back. I like being able to be here and support the football team. It means a lot to be here.”

Reach Wes Watt at sports@wkuherald.com.