JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – First-year head volleyball coach Cat Collins has revealed the Eagles 2024 schedule.
The first month of the season features two tournaments in the Union University Invitational and the SAC/Peach Belt Crossover.
The Union University Invitational features the University of Missouri-Saint Louis, who made a final-four appearance in 2023, as well as the host Union. The Eagles also host LMU to kick off conference play in the first week of September. The tough start for C-N gives Collins and her team a chance to prove themselves early.
"We want to be successful, and we're working to define what that looks like for us," Collins said. "We want to compete with the highest teams and we want to be at that level. I wanted to do it right off the bat and set a great standard for ourselves… that's our goal in this program."
The SAC/Peach Belt Crossover features challenging opponents such as Francis Marion, USC Aiken, and Augusta, amongst others, giving C-N opportunities to bolster its resume early. Playing just three matches at home in September, the Eagles will be tested early on the road.
"We really wanted to get going fast," Collins said. "We have a really great group of freshmen and a good foundation to start with… I really wanted to test us right off the bat. I'm really confident in our ability to train the girls, but also the skill that they have coming in, so I wanted to make sure we kind of pushed ourselves and set a high standard right away."
The Eagles' conference slate goes into full swing in October, and it will prove to be another challenging year in the SAC.
Of the eight 2023 southeast regional selections, four of them came from the South Atlantic Conference including Lenoir-Rhyne, Wingate, Anderson, and Tusculum, and the Eagles will face three of the four in October.
In addition to the challenging conference slate, C-N also travels to square off with Lander, who also appeared in the southeast regional, and the Eagles will host Lees-McRae as well for two non-conference matches in October.
The month of October features eight conference matches, as well as the two non-conference opponents.
The Eagles close out the regular season with five conference matches in November, including the regular season finale against Anderson, who made a run to the Elite Eight a year ago. It will be another strong year for the SAC, and Collins believes the Eagles can be in the mix at the top.
"There's been a lot of changes in our league as far as players, coaches, and big classes coming in," Collins said. "It's going to be somewhat young across the board, kind of fresh starts for a lot of programs. I want to make sure we set a high standard and leave a good impression with our skills right away."
With a young team and a rigorous and lengthy schedule, Collins understands the challenges that comes with it and is prepared to face them head on.
"We're girls, so we need to make sure we get along first." Collins said. "Just making sure that we listen to them, listen to their bodies when they need breaks… Just creating different things throughout the season so we don't get stuck doing mundane things day-to-day."
The Eagles kick off the 2024 season at the Union University Invitational on September 6th.
For updates throughout the season, follow us on social media @cn_eagles and online at cneagles.com.
