LOUDONVILLE, NY – Embarking on a new era in Siena Volleyball in 2022, the Saints open their campaign under new head coach Simone Asque at the Bearcat Invitational Friday and Saturday, hosted by Binghamton. The Saints will open the weekend Friday evening against Boston College at 4 PM before taking on the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore and host Binghamton in a day-night double header at 11 AM and 7 PM.
 
Friday's match against Boston College and Saturday's first match against UMES will be aired live on America East TV, while Saturday's finale against host Binghamton will be live on ESPN+. Live updates will be available by following @SienaVB on Twitter for all three matches.
 
Set to being their 44^th varsity season, the Saints will look for their first opening match victory since 2016 in a 3-2 win over St. Francis Brooklyn. This will be Siena's earliest start to a season since 2018, as they open against a Boston College squad that competed in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship last year.
 
Picked to finish seventh in the 2022 MAAC Preseason Coaches Poll, the Green and Gold look to build on a 7-23 overall record in 2021 that saw it post a 7-11 mark in MAAC play and finish eighth in the conference.
 
The Saints return the likes of veterans Emily Wunder, Meghan Johnsson, and Gracie Halley as familiar faces, with Asque adding four transfers and four freshman to the mix of returning Saints. The Green and Gold do return the top three players in recorded kills a year ago in Wunder, and sophomores Olga Sawinska and Sara Wagner. Sawinska came away with All-Rookie honors last season – the first since Dakota Jackson in 2017.
 
Siena last faced Boston College in 2018, and sits 1-7 overall against the Eagles. The last victory over the Beantown natives came in 1995 in a 3-0 victory on Oct. 4. The Saints went on to win the third of their four straight MAAC titles from 1993-96 that season. The Green and Gold also stand 8-22 overall against the host Bearcats, with their last win coming in 2019 in a 3-0 victory at the UHY Center. Siena and Binghamton faced off last season, with the Bearcats coming away with a 3-2 win in Vestal. Lastly, Siena and UMES will meet for the first time in program history.