WEST HAVEN, Conn. – Returning to the court following their 15th straight appearance in the NCAA Division II East Regionals, head coach Christa Cooper announced the New Haven women's volleyball team's 28-match regular season schedule for 2022. Among the 23 dates on the schedule, the Chargers will host seven matches in the friendly confines of Charger Gymnasium.
VIEW FULL 2022 SCHEDULE
New Haven will return to the court in the month of August for the first time since the 2018 campaign, opening up the new year with back-to-back doubleheaders at East Coast Conference (ECC) foes Queens College and Molloy. The 2022 season opened is slated for Friday, Aug., 26 when the Chargers will open up the day against the host Knights before taking on a former ECC and new CACC opponent in Bridgeport. The next afternoon, the Chargers will head into Long Island for a pair of matches at Molloy, beginning the day with a first-ever meeting against the University of Charleston before closing out the day with the host Lions.
The second weekend of the season will see the Blue and Gold embark on their farthest trip from West Haven as they head to sunny West Balm Beach, Florida for a four-match tournament host by Palm Beach Atlantic. Joining the Charger and Sailfish at Rubin Arena for the two-day event will be Lynn University, East Stroudsburg University and Saint Cloud State. The match-ups against Lynn and Saint Clous will also be first-time meetings, while all four matches in Florida come against teams that qualified for NCAA Regional play last season, including Saint Cloud State who was the No. 2 seed in the Central Region.
The final in-season tournament for New Haven will once again be a trip South as they head to Wilmington, Delaware for a two-day event hosted by the Wilmington Wildcats. The match against the host Wildcats will sandwiched by matchups against Jefferson and Holy Family with the weekend event scheduled for Sep. 9-10.
Upon returning to the Northeast, the Chargers will have one final tune-up before opening Northeast-10 Conference play, with that final test coming against a league opponent, Assumption. The road meeting against the Greyhounds is slated for Saturday, Sep. 17.
The 2022 NE10 opener will take place during the week as the Chargers will head to Albany, N.Y. for a date with the Saint Rose Golden Knights on Tuesday, Sep. 20. The battle versus the Golden Knights also serves as the final road match before the Chargers make their debut at Charger Gymnasium for the first of three-straight on their home floor, with Southern New Hampshire coming to town for the home opener on Saturday, Sep. 24.
A quick break from NE10 action will come in the form of visiting Dominican for a midweek match on Wednesday, Sep. 27, while a visit from Le Moyne will mark the return to league action and serve as the final match in the home opening three-match set. The meeting against the Dolphins will also open the new month on Saturday, Oct. 1.
Conference play will continue on Tuesday, Oct. 4 as the Chargers will travel to Springfield, Mass. for a date with the American International Yellow Jackets in what will serve as a first-time meeting since the two squads met in the NE10 Championship last November.
The Chargers will then step away from league play for another familiar foe with a Saturday, October 8 meeting against crosstown rival Southern Connecticut State University serving as a non-conference contest. A mid-week visit from Pace University on Tuesday, Oct. 11 will break of a series of non-conference matches as the Blue and Gold will close out non-league action with a trip to Post University on Thursday, Oct. 13 and a visit from Georgian Court on Tuesday, Oct. 18 for the non-conference finale.
Back-to-back road matches at Bentley (Friday, Oct. 21) and Franklin Pierce (Saturday, Oct. 22) will vault the Blue and Gold back into league action for the final time. The penultimate home match will come on Tuesday, Oct. 25 when the Chargers host Adelphi before once again traveling across town to take on the Owls for the second time on Friday, Oct. 28.
The home finale will also be a second-time meeting as the Chargers will host Assumption for a rematch as they open the month of November on Tuesday, Nov. 1. The final two regular season matches will come on the road and include a trip to Saint Anselm (Friday, Nov. 4) and Saint Michael's (Saturday, Nov. 5).
The top eight teams in the conference standings following regular season play will qualify for the NE10 Championship, which opens with a quarterfinal on Nov. 8 at the home sites of the four highest seeds. The semifinals and championship match take place on Nov. 11-12 with the final four hosted by the highest remaining seed following quarterfinal play.
The NCAA Division II East Region Championship is scheduled to take place Nov. 17-19 at the highest seeded team who submits a hosting bid. New Haven has hosted two of the past four regional Championships, earning the programs ninth trip to the Final Eight with a regional title in 2017. The season will culminate with the NCAA Division II Final Eight being contested Dec. 1-3 at Royal Brougham Pavilion in Seattle, Wash.
All home matches and select road matches will be broadcast live, for free, on the Charger Sports Network, part of NE10Now.tv. Additionally, live stats will be provided for all matches with links available at NewHavenChargers.com.
