ALBANY, N.Y. - The University at Albany volleyball team is set for an exciting fall as the Great Danes announced their 2026 schedule, Thursday.
 
The 2026 season features two opponents who competed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament - Purdue and UMBC - along with three additional Power Four foes in UCF, Iowa, and Syracuse. The non-conference slate also includes two Ivy League opponents in Cornell and Dartmouth and a pair of Patriot League foes in Army and Colgate.
 
"We are excited to line up this level of competition this year and to have several of our tournaments keeping us close to home," said head coach Josh Pickard. "Not having to travel far to play the level of teams that we are says a lot about the quality of volleyball that is happening here in New York. Our last pre-conference trip takes us to a place with a fantastic program and rich volleyball history while also allowing some of the team to get a bit closer to home."
 
The Great Danes will begin the year with four tournaments, starting at Army's Black Knight Invitational on August 29-20. UAlbany will then travel to the Cornell Invitational before heading to Colgate for the Ellis Rowland Memorial Tournament. 
 
Tournament play concludes at 2025 Big 10 Champion and NCAA Elite 8 competitor, Purdue's Stacey Clark Classic from Sept. 17-19. The Great Danes will face Purdue and UCF as well as one additional opponent to be announced.
 
UAlbany opens America East play with their first home game of the season - UMBC - on September 25 before closing the weekend hosting FDU (Sept. 27). The Great Danes will then continue league play with NJIT, New Hampshire, Binghamton, and Bryant while playing their annual non-conference game against Siena at the UHY Center on October 7.
 
The second half of conference play features home matches against NJIT, Binghamton, and Bryant along with a road match at America East defending champions, UMBC, on November 1. In each of the league games, the Great Danes will be competing for a chance to make it to the America East Tournament (Nov. 20-22).
 
To view the full 2026 schedule, click here.