Edison, N.J. (August 26, 2021) – The non-conference portion of the 2021 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) volleyball season begins tomorrow, with every team scheduled to play at least one match. All teams will begin their 2021 season on the road.
Fairfield University was ranked the preseason favorite, as voted on by the league’s 10 head coaches. The Stags placed a conference-high three players, Luci Albertson, Joelle Battles, and Manuela Nicolini, on the Preseason All-MAAC Team. Fairfield will start their season in Honolulu, HI in the Rainbow Wahine Classic. They are scheduled to face Hawaii, Texas A&M, and Marquette over the course of Friday and Saturday.
The Reigning MAAC Champion, Rider University, and the Preseason Player of the Year, Morgan Romano, will travel to Philadelphia, PA as they play in the Temple/Villanova Tournament. The Broncs will face off against Temple, Delaware, and Villanova.
This year’s MAAC Championship moves to the campus of Siena College, which lasted hosted the event in 2015. The Saints will be traveling to Wyoming to open their season as they will appear in the Rumble in the Rockies tournament. They will face Saint Mary’s and Wyoming in Laramie on Friday and Saturday.
Last year’s runner-up, Canisius College, and Preseason All-MAAC Outside Hitter Ella Loussia open their season in East Lansing, MI as they play in the Auto Owners Insurance Spartan Invitational. The Griffs will face off against Wright State, Michigan State, and Western Michigan this weekend. Canisius was ranked third in the Preseason Coaches’ Poll and will be searching for their first MAAC Championship this season.
The full list of opening tournaments is below:
2021 MAAC OPENING SCHEDULE
| Dates |
School |
Tournament & Location |
| Aug. 27 & 28 |
Canisius College |
Auto Owners Insurance Spartan Invitational,
East Lansing, MI |
| Aug. 27 & 28 |
Fairfield University |
Rainbow Wahine Classic,
Honolulu, HI |
| Aug. 27 & 28 |
Iona College |
Army Invitational,
West Point, NY |
| Aug. 27 & 28 |
Manhattan College |
FDU Tournament,
Hackensack, NJ |
| Aug. 27 & 28 |
Marist College |
Cactus Classic,
Tucson, AZ |
| Aug. 27 & 28 |
Niagara University |
Colonel Classic,
Thibodaux, LA |
| Aug. 27 & 28 |
Quinnipiac University |
URI Invitational,
Kingston, RI |
| Aug. 27 & 28 |
Rider University |
Temple Invitational,
Philadelphia, PA |
| Aug. 27 & 28 |
Saint Peter's University |
Delaware Sate Hornet Invite,
Dover, DE |
| Aug. 27 & 28 |
Siena College |
Rumble In the Rockies,
Laramie, WY |
Keep up with all MAAC soccer action by following @MAACSports on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. For information, visit
MAACSports.com.
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) is in its 41st year of competition during the 2021-22 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.