Hempstead, NY – Hofstra University Head Volleyball Coach Kristina Hernandez announced today her squad's upcoming schedule for the 2013 campaign. Hofstra enters 2013 as the defending Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Champions and will look to win back-to-back conference titles for the first time since 1999 and 2000.
“We are looking forward to the 2013 season,” commented Hernandez. “Our preseason schedule is filled with opponents that will force our team to play at a consistently high level. There is a great balance of tough non-conference match-ups that will assist our team as we prepare for the Colonial Athletic Association portion of the schedule.”
The season gets underway on Friday, August 30 when Hofstra hosts Delaware State at 7 p.m. in the first match of the Hofstra Asics Invitational. The three-day tournament features Hofstra, Delaware State, St. Francis (NY), Siena and Coppin State. In addition to the Delaware State match, the Pride will then face Coppin State and St. Francis (NY) on Saturday before concluding tournament play on Sunday with a match against Siena.
Hofstra's first road trip of the season will take them to the Harvard Invitational on September 6-7 where the Pride will take on Maryland-Eastern Shore, Holy Cross and Harvard. Maryland-Eastern Shore advanced to the NCAA Tournament a season ago and won 28 matches in 2012.
Following a road match at Fordham on September 10, Hofstra will host its second tournament of the season, the Hofstra Invitational, on September 13-14. Central Michigan, USC-Upstate and Princeton join Hofstra and complete the four-team field.
The Pride will take on LIU Brooklyn on the road on September 18 to break up the week between the two tournaments.
The Pride's final non-conference tournament of the regular season will be at Temple on September 20-21 with Hofstra taking on Brown, Delaware State and the Owls in the Temple Invitational. The Delaware State match will mark the Pride's second in 2013 against the Hornets.
A slightly-changed Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) awaits Hofstra when the Pride begins conference play on September 27 with a home match against UNC Wilmington. Following the match against the Seahawks, Hofstra will host the College of Charleston on September 29 in the first-ever meeting between the two schools. The Cougars are in their first season in the CAA and are coming off a 27-8 season in 2012 that saw Charleston advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to Florida.
The month of October will see Hofstra play three home matches and four road matches with seven out of the eight being conference contests. The lone non-conference match during that stretch is at Sacred Heart on October 22. Hofstra's October 22 home match against Delaware will see the Pride face the team they beat in the 2012 CAA Championship match that went to a thrilling fifth and decisive set.
Two long road trips begin the month of November for Hofstra as the Pride heads to James Madison and William & Mary on November 1 and 2 before heading to the Carolinas on November 8 and 10 to face the College of Charleston and UNC Wilmington, respectively.
The regular season concludes with a pair of home matches as the Pride will face William & Mary on November 15 and James Madison on November 17.
The six-team CAA Championship will be hosted by the regular season champion on November 22-24.
Hofstra finished the 2012 campaign with a record of 21-14. It was the program's first 20-win season since the 2006 squad won 24 matches en route to an appearance in the second round of the NCAA Championship.
