LOUDONVILLE, NY – A new volleyball season awaits as year three in the tenure of coach Simone Asque-Favia and her Saints begins anew with the Skyhawk Invitational this coming weekend beginning Friday at 6 p.m. when Siena takes on Patriot League member Holy Cross in its opener in Easton, Ma. 

The action continues Saturday with matches scheduled against Purdue Fort Wayne of the Horizon League at 11 a.m. and host Stonehill of the Northeast Conference at 4 p.m. at Merkert Gymnasium.   

The Saints are 14-1 in all-time meetings with Holy Cross, but will be meeting for the first time since 2005. Siena will be playing IPFW and Stonehill for the first time.  All matches this weekend can be watched streaming on NEC Front Row and live stats can be followed here. 

Siena will look to shake off a 2-26 finish in a 2023 season littered with injuries, illnesses and a lack of contiguity, but the team carries plenty of optimism heading into 2024 with a fresh start and six newcomers set to make their debuts.

Among them are a trio of hitters over six-feet tall in six-foot-3 Oregon State transfer Doga Diraz, six-foot-1 Saint Rose transfer Maggie Seymour and six-foot international transfer from Estonia Salme Adeele Hollas as well as two defensive specialists in Ma'ila Stephens and Amelia Robertson and Saint Rose transfer and setter Alandra Hasbrouck. 

The Saints also return three-year starter Sara Wagner, who ranks as one of the most consistent hitters in program history in totaling 821 kills and 2.75 kills per set over the span of her collegiate resume.  Three-year stalwart Claire Isaksen also returns and continues to climb the all-time ranks in assists, ranking seventh in both total assists (1,468) and assists per set (5.78) in 73 matches played. 

Siena will host a pair of tournaments this season including the Siena Saints Invitational from Sept. 12-14 at the UHY Center and welcomes in Syracuse, Idaho and NJIT in a round robin format. 

Siena will also host the MAAC Championship Tournament from Nov. 21-24 with the top eight finishers playing in a single-elimination tournament to earn the right to a berth in postseason play.  It is the first time since 2021 that Siena will host the MAAC Championship and the 15^th time that it has been hosted in the Capital Region area with 14 of those occurrences taking place in Loudonville and the lone exception being played off campus at the Albany Capital Center in 2020.

Live updates from this weekend's matches and all season will also be available by following @SienaVB on "X" (formerly Twitter).

The Saints will be seeking to outperform expectations set forth in the 2024 MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll where they were projected to finish 10^th out of 12 teams.