JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Carson-Newman Volleyball begins its season in Jackson, Tennessee, to participate in the Union University Volleyball Classic.

The Eagles will take on No. 6 Missouri-St. Louis on Friday at noon before taking on Harding at 4:00 p.m. The next day, their three-game slate concludes with a match against hosting Union University (Tenn.) at noon. All three games will take place at Fred DeLay Gymnasium.

"Opening weekend for us is full of high-level competition. We are getting thrown into the deep end, and I'm excited to see what this group is going to do," Carson-Newman volleyball head coach Cat Collins said. "We are capable of great things, and we are excited to put it to the test against great opponents."

The Union University Volleyball Classic is Carson-Newman's first of two regular-season non-conference tournaments. It plays its home opener on Tuesday, Sept. 10, in a conference match against Lincoln Memorial. The Eagles will then travel to Aiken, S.C., for the SAC/Peach Belt Crossover, hosted by USC Aiken from Sept. 13-14.

Last season, Carson-Newman opened its season at the Ray Thrasher Classic hosted by Trevecca Nazarene, going 1-3 on the weekend, including a loss to then-No. 10 Missouri-St. Louis, which opens the Eagles season in 2024. Carson-Newman did not meet Harding and Union (Tenn.) last season.

Joining C-N in West Tennessee are South Atlantic Conference foes Limestone. The Saints will take on the same slate of teams as the Eagles but save the matchup with each other for conference play in late September.

Missouri-St. Louis- Last season's meeting with the Tritons was only one of two meetings between the two programs, with C-N taking a victory back in 2002 before dropping last season's edition. The Tritons only dropped two matches last season, winning the Midwest Regional Title and reaching the national semifinal for the second straight season. Missouri-St. Louis returns Great Lakes Valley Conference 2023 Player of the Year, Caitlin Bishop, but is now without three All-GLVC first and second-team picks from last season. Bishop was second in Division II nationally in assists per set (12.50).

Harding- The Bison are coming off a 19-11 mark in the Great American Conference last season and surprisingly travel the least distance of the participating teams in the tournament, other than the hosts. Harding returns its top outside, Skyler McKinnon, and its top setter, Olivia Wiedower, creating a problematic one-two punch to swallow for the Bisons opponents. One potential weakness may be defensively as none of the top three Bisons in digs from last reason return, as well as their top middle blocker.

Union (Tenn.) – The weekend's final match is against tournament hosts Union. The Eagles and Bulldogs have only met once in program history, a five-set loss for Carson-Newman in the 2021 season-opening tournament. The Bulldogs are coming off an abysmal 6-25 record last season, with all but one of those wins coming in Gulf South Conference play. However, the Bulldogs return its leaders in almost every category except digs. An upperclassmen-led roster could turn the tides this season for Union, but the glaring question is how it fills the vacancy at libero.

All Union University Volleyball Classic matches will be live-streamed on FloSports ($). You can follow along for free on social media @CN_Eagles on X and Instagram and Carson Newman Athletics on Facebook. Admission to all tournament games is free. Live stats and match notes can be found online at CNEagles.com.