LOUDONVILLE, NY – Year two of the coach Simone Asque-Favia era is set to begin as the Siena Volleyball schedule was released on Thursday for the upcoming 2023 campaign. 

The Saints' 50^th varsity season features 28 matches including three challenging, non-conference tournaments to open the season followed by a crosstown rivalry renewed with the University of Albany and a conference schedule with nine home dates inside the technologically revamped UHY Center.  

"Our non-conference schedule is full of great opportunities to compete," said Siena head volleyball coach Simone Asque-Favia.  

"We are facing multiple programs that carry a history of success and post-season exposure. It is a privilege to be challenged in this way and I feel confident it will prepare us to battle for the MAAC. The MAAC will undoubtedly be stronger than last year, but a hard fought and competitive atmosphere is what our student-athletes thrive under and love. It is primed to be an exciting year for Siena Volleyball and we hope to see the community at our home games to witness it! Go Saints!"

The rising program saw a six-win improvement from the prior season in her first season at the helm.  It included a 10-8 record inside conference play and a MAAC Quarterfinal sweep against fourth-seeded Canisius. 

The challenge will be met from the onset as six of the nine opponents that the Saints will face in the tournaments had winning records last season with two teams earning NCAA Tournament berths and another who qualified for the National Invitational Volleyball Tournament. 

The season gets underway in Hempstead, NY in the Hofstra Invitational against the host Pride on Friday, August 25 at 6 p.m. and continues with match ups versus NJIT and Delaware State on Aug. 26 at the David S. Mack Physical Education Center.  It marks the first meeting versus Hofstra since 2016 and first time playing NJIT since 2019.  Delaware State is coming off a season in which it had 24 wins, won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and reached the NCAA Tournament.

Next up, the Saints will travel northeast to Smithfield, RI, to compete in the Bryant Invitational from Sept. 1-2 at the Chace Athletic Center. 

Siena will open the tournament taking on the host Bulldogs from the America East Conference followed by neutral site match ups against Lafayette of the Patriot League and Northeastern of the Colonial Athletic Conference.  It marks the first-ever meeting versus Bryant, a 19-game winner a season ago.  Siena last played Northeastern in 1997.   

On the following weekend, the Saints will travel back to the Empire State to Queens where they'll compete in the Jack Kaiser Volleyball Classic from Sept. 8-9 at Carnesecca Arena.  Siena will open versus host St. John's, a 20-game winner in 2022 who competed in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship, followed by matches with Loyola (MD) of the Patriot League and a first-ever meeting with Tennessee State, who won the Ohio Valley Conference and qualified for the NCAA Tournament. 
Siena opens its 34^th season in the MAAC versus St. Peter's on Wednesday, Sept. 13 at 6 p.m. in its' home opener at UHY Center. 

Enhancing the fans' gameday experience, this will mark the first season in which the volleyball team will be utilizing the new NEVCO video scoreboards, LED sideline tables, new scoreboard and game clocks as well as video replay system upgrades that were installed in December of 2022 at the UHY Center. 

Alternating two-game home and road splits will occur over the next several weeks in the schedule.  

The first road MAAC contest is a trip down I-87 to take on Marist on Sept. 16.  The battle for Capital Region bragging rights takes place on Wed., Sept. 20 at UAlbany. 

Siena returns home to take on perennial power and last year's top MAAC seed Fairfield as well as defending MAAC champion Quinnipiac on the weekend of Sept. 23-24.         

The next road trip saddles the Saints against Rider and St. Peter's in New Jersey on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1. 

The Green & Gold returns to home to entertain Iona and Manhattan on Oct. 7 and 8 followed by its longest road swing of the season with four matches at Niagara on Oct. 14, at Canisius on Oct. 15, at Manhattan on Oct. 21 and finishes up at Iona on Oct. 22. 

Siena will close out the regular season with four of its final six matches at the cozy confines of the UHY Center where the program has enjoyed a 247-143 all-time record (.633). 

The Saints will host Rider on Oct. 25, Canisius on Oct. 28 and Niagara on Oct. 29. 

After a two-game break of playing in Connecticut at Fairfield on Nov. 4 and Quinnipiac on Nov. 5, Siena will hold its Senior Day on Saturday, Nov. 11 at 2 p.m. against Marist. 

The MAAC Tournament will be held from Nov. 17-19 at Fairfield's Leo D. Mahoney Arena.

The top six seeds will qualify in a single-elimination tournament.