2020-21 MAAC Volleyball Championship Field Set
EDISON, N.J. (Mar. 28, 2021) – The championship field for the 2020-21 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Volleyball Championship has been set. The eight teams competing for the MAAC title include Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, and Siena College.
The eight-team championship will take place at the Albany Capital Center in Albany, NY over the course of three days. The championship kicks off on Thursday, April 1 with four quarterfinal games throughout the day. Both semifinal games are scheduled for Friday, April 2. The 2020-21 MAAC Volleyball Championship Game will take place Saturday, April 3 at 4 p.m. EST.
No fans will be admitted to the championship which is being held in the spring this year in a COVID-19 truncated season. All games will be broadcasted live on ESPN+. A.J. Kanell will handle the play-by-play call for the broadcasts and Lauren Eads will serve as the color analyst for the tournament.
| 2020-21 MAAC VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE |
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| Thursday, April 1 |
Match-Up |
Time |
Network |
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| Quarterfinal #1 |
No. 2 Canisius vs. No. 7 Quinnipiac |
11:00 am |
ESPN+ |
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| Quarterfinal #2 |
No. 3 Niagara vs. No.6 Iona |
2:00 pm |
ESPN+ |
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| Quarterfinal #3 |
No. 1 Fairfield vs. No. 8 Siena |
5:00 pm |
ESPN+ |
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| Quarterfinal #4 |
No. 4 Rider vs. No. 5 Manhattan |
8:00 pm |
ESPN+ |
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| Friday, April 2 |
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| Semifinal #1 |
Quarterfinal #1 Winner vs. Quarterfinal #2 Winner |
4:00 pm |
ESPN+ |
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| Semifinal #2 |
Quarterfinal #3 Winner vs. Quarterfinal #4 Winner |
7:00 pm |
ESPN+ |
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| Saturday, April 3 |
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| Championship Game |
Semifinal #1 Winner vs. Semifinal #2 Winner |
4:00 pm |
ESPN+ |
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The top-seeded Fairfield Stags (9-1) entered the shortened season as the favorite to win the conference in the MAAC 2020-21 Preseason Coaches’ Poll. They also claimed three spots on the Preseason All-MAAC team, including Preseason Player of the Year, Manuela Nicolini. The Stags claimed the MAAC Regular Season Championship on the final day of the regular season with a 3-2 victory over Quinnipiac. As the top seed, Fairfield will embark on their journey for a record-setting 12
th MAAC Championship on April 1 at 5 p.m., when they will take on eighth-seeded Siena College in Quarterfinal No. 3.
Kicking off quarterfinal action on April 1 will be No. 2 Canisius (7-3) and No. 7 Quinnipiac (3-4) at 11 a.m. The Golden Griffins and Bobcats earned a split of their doubleheader back on March 14. Quinnipiac enters the tournament as the only team to have a win over the top-two seeds this season.
Quarterfinal No. 2 will feature third-seeded Niagara (4-3) taking on sixth-seeded Iona (3-6) at 2 p.m. This will be the first meeting between the two this season and their first in MAAC Championship since 2017 when Iona beat Niagara in straight sets to advance to the championship game.
Fairfield and Siena (1-6) will then battle in the 5 p.m. slot. Due to COVID-19 disruptions at Marist College, Siena College was awarded the championship’s No. 8 seed.
No. 4 Rider (4-4) will play No. 5 Manhattan (4-6) at 8 p.m. to wrap up quarterfinal action. Manhattan returns to the MAAC Championship for the first time since 2018 and make their fifth appearance since 2011. Rider will look to continue where they left off, as they completed their regular season with a sweep of the Jaspers on March 21. This will be just the third time that they have met in the MAAC Championship, with Manhattan holding a 2-0 advantage.
Keep up with all MAAC volleyball action by following @MAACSports on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram and by searching #MAACVB. For championship information, visit
MAACSports.com/VB.
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) celebrates its 40
th year of competition during the 2020-21 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.