ALBANY, N.Y. - The University at Albany volleyball team is set to open their season at a tournament in Syracuse, N.Y.
 
Click here for Syracuse's mask policy for the weekend.
 
MATCH INFORMATION
Syracuse Tournament 
SITE: Women's Building - Syracuse, N.Y.
STATS: Cuse.com
UALBANY RECORD: 0-0, 0-0 America East
 
UAlbany vs. UConn
DATE: Friday, August 27
TIME: 2:30 PM
RECORD: UConn 0-0, 0-0 Big East
SERIES RECORD: 3-2, UAlbany leads
 
UAlbany vs. UB
DATE: Saturday, August 28
TIME: 11:00 AM
RECORD: UB 0-0, 0-0 MAC
SERIES RECORD: 3-1, UAlbany leads
 
UAlbany at Syracuse
DATE: Saturday, August 28
TIME: 7:00 PM
RECORD: 0-0, 0-0 ACC
SERIES RECORD: 7-3, Syracuse leads
STREAM: ACCNX
 
*records as of 8/26
 
GREAT DANE REWIND

• The UAlbany women's volleyball team returns to play as the 2020-21 America East Regular-Season Champions. 
• Of the six players who saw 51 sets on the court, a team-leading number, five will be returning - senior Charlotte Macken, junior Noa Brach, junior Kamara Kelly, senior ShaLi Niu, and graduate student Danielle Tedesco.
• Leading her runner-up by 80 assists, junior Malea Stanton returns as the team's main setter.
• America East Player of the Year and AVCA All-American Kamara Kelly will shine on the court once again. Kelly was the sole student-athlete from the conference to earn a selection to any of the All-American teams after totaling 174 kills and 179 digs. 
• America East Defensive Specialist of the Year returns with her conference-leading 208 digs and 4.52 digs per set from the 2020-21 season.
• The Great Danes racked up many postseason honors last season. Here is a list of all returning student-athletes who were honored:
  • Kamara Kelly - AVCA All-America Honorable Mention, AVCA All-East Region Honorable Mention, America East Player of the Year, First Team All-America East
  • Charlotte Macken - America East Defensive Specialist of the Year, Second Team All-America East
  • Danielle Tedesco - Second Team All-America East, America East All-Academic

 
ABOUT UCONN

• The Huskies were voted to finish sixth in their conference, the Big East, with one student-athlete, Caylee Parker, named to the Preseason All-Big East Team.
• The Huskies return nine players from the 2020-21 season, in which the team saw four wins and seven losses.
• UConn has added four freshmen to their roster.

 
SERIES AGAINST UCONN

• The Great Danes hold a 3-2 lead over the Huskies. 
• Most recently, UAlbany fell to UConn, 3-0, on the road in 2017. 
• UAlbany last saw a win over UConn in 2016 at the Yale Invitational, three sets to one.

 
ABOUT UBUFFALO

• The Bulls were picked to finish sixth in the MAC East Division. 
• Sophomore Milla Malik was selected to the Preseason All-MAC East Division team after finishing the 2020-21 season with 226 kills and 136 digs.
• Returning for UB are top-two offensive leaders, Malik and Emma Gielas, all three of the team's defensive specialists, and their lead setter, Kyndal Brown (78 sets, 679 assists).
• The Bulls welcomed three freshmen.

 
SERIES AGAINST UB

• The Great Danes hold a 3-1 lead over the Bulls.
• Most recently, the Bulls took their first win in the series in the final game of 2014 with a sweep. 
• UAlbany last beat UB in 2008 with a sweep of their own early in the season.

 
ABOUT SYRACUSE

• The Orange was picked to finish sixth in the ACC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
• Polina Shemanova and Marina Markova lead the returners on the All-ACC Preseason Team.
• The Orange welcomes back 12 players for a 2020-21 team that held seven wins and nine losses.
• Among those returning, along with Shemanova and Markova, defensive specialist Lauren Hogan will anchor the defense after leading the ACC in digs per set (4.75).

 
SERIES AGAINST SYRACUSE

• The Orange holds a 7-3 series lead over the Great Danes.
• Most recently, the Orange found a 3-1 match win in 2017 with UAlbany last beating Syracuse in 2006 with the same score.

 
AROUND THE AMERICA EAST

• All seven America East schools are scheduled to play their season openers on Friday. UAlbany tops the preseason coaches' poll with four of six first-place votes for a total of 33 points. Tied at second, reigning tournament champions UMBC and New Hampshire hold 27 points with one first-place vote each.

 
AMERICA EAST CONTESTS THIS WEEKEND
Friday

• UMBC vs. FGCU (Fort Meyers, Fla.), 11 am
• Stony Brook vs. Florida Atlantic (Boca Raton, Fla.), 12 pm
• New Hampshire vs. Murray State (Macon, Ga.), 1 pm
• Binghamton vs. Navy (Baltimore, Md.), 1:30 pm
• UAlbany vs. UConn (Syracuse, N.Y.), 2:30 pm
• Stony Brook vs. Wofford (Boca Raton, Fla.), 4:30 pm
• Hartford vs. Northeastern (Chestnut Hill, Mass.), 5 pm
• New Hampshire vs. Mercer (Macon, Ga.), 6 pm

Saturday

• Stony Brook vs. North Florida (Boca Raton, Fla.), 10 am
• Binghamton vs. Morgan State (Baltimore, Md.), 10 am
• UMBC vs. USF (Fort Myers, Fla.), 10 am
• UAlbany vs. UB (Syracuse, N.Y.), 11 am
• New Hampshire vs Stetson (Macon, Ga.), 12 pm
• Hartford vs. Boston College (Chestnut Hill, Mass.), 1 pm
• UMBC vs. Rutgers (Fort Myers, Fla.), 2:30 pm
• Hartford vs. Sacred Heart (Chestnut Hill, Mass.), 5 pm
• Binghamton vs. Towson (Baltimore, Md.), 6:30 pm
• UAlbany vs. Syracuse (Syracuse, N.Y.), 7 pm

Sunday

• UMBC vs. Miami (Coral Gables, Fla.), 3 pm

 
WHAT'S UP, PRESEASON

• The Great Dane volleyball team was picked to finish first in the conference in the preseason coaches' poll.
• UAlbany added seven new players to the roster for the 2021 season.

 
UP NEXT

• After being on the road for their first weekend of the season, the Great Danes will host the Crowne Plaza Albany - The Desmond Hotel Volleyball Classic in SEFCU Arena on September 3-4. 
• UAlbany will host Colgate, Cornell, and St. John's for the tournament.