WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – Kaplan Arena will open its doors for the first time in the 2023 season as William & Mary volleyball (5-5) plays host to Charleston (3-8) to kick off its CAA campaign at home on Saturday, Sept. 16 (2 p.m.) and Sunday, Sept. 17^th (2 p.m.).

All W&M home volleyball events have free admission to Kaplan Arena.
 

Match Information (Match 11-12)
Date/Time	2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16th | 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 17th
Location	Williamsburg, Va. – Kaplan Arena
FloVolleyball	Saturday | Sunday
Live Stats	Saturday | Sunday
Match Notes	W&M Notes | CofC Notes

 
CLEAR BAG POLICY
William & Mary Athletics, in conjunction with the William & Mary Police Department, has implemented a clear bag policy that regulates the size and type of bag that may be carried into W&M Athletics facilities during the 2023-24 year, including Busch Field, Kaplan Arena, Martin Family Stadium, Plumeri Park, and Zable Stadium. Information as well as approved and prohibited items is available at TribeAtheltics.com.
 
THE HIDDEN OPPONENT NIGHT
The Tribe's home opener on Saturday will also be The Hidden Opponent night, where W&M volleyball shows support for an organization focused on breaking down the stigma surrounding mental health and bringing student-athletes together. W&M volleyball is excited to welcome fans to Kaplan Arena on a night which is so important for so many of its student-athletes.

Setter Amy Schwem is passionate about the cause, having worked with the organization since her freshman year. She says, "mental health is something that everyone has, and I don't think that there is any reason we should hide it or be afraid to talk about it."
 
LAST TIME OUT
Closing out their non-conference schedule at the Bobcat Invitational, the Tribe fell in their final three matches to NC State, UTEP and Ohio after sweeping the Bucknell Invitational the weekend before, picking up wins against Bucknell, Cornell and Niagara.

Taylor Burrell earned her second all-tournament honor in three weekends, producing double-digit kills in every match and adding three aces in the final game against host Ohio. She earned just shy of 40 points on the weekend, averaging 3.5 points per set.

Sabrina Malcolm also had an impressive weekend in her return to her home state. The New Philadelphia, Ohio, native made a team-leading 12 blocks and recorded a solo block.
 
BLOCK PARTY
The Tribe rank in the top 50 nationally in team total blocks with 82.5. In both total blocks and blocks per set, W&M is third in the conference. In addition to Malcolm adding 12 blocks over the weekend, Olivia Esposito has been a force at the net this season with a team-leading 33 blocks and 1.5 blocks per set.
 
HOME SWEET HOME
William & Mary opened its season with 10 consecutive road games, and Saturday marks the team's first time playing in Kaplan Arena since Nov. 6, 2022.

In the off-season, Kaplan underwent facility renovations including arena lighting and sound system updates and the installation of a new jumbotron.
 
MEET THE OPPONENT
College of Charleston posted a 3-8 record to start their season and are coming off a tournament weekend in which they dropped three matches, including one to No. 17 Arkansas and one to host Western Kentucky.

The Tribe have faced the Cougars 19 times since their first matchup in Sept. 2002 with only the first meeting played outside of conference play. Charleston and W&M have played 18 matches since the Cougars joined the CAA in 2013. This is their third matchup in the month of September.
 
FAST FORWARD
The Tribe will be back on the road to continue conference play as they travel to Campbell and Hampton. First, the Green and Gold will head south to North Carolina for a pair of matches against the Fighting Camels on Saturday, Sept. 23 (1 p.m.) and Sunday, Sept. 24 (1 p.m.), before returning to the Commonwealth to take on Hampton Saturday, Sept.30 (1 p.m.) and Oct. 1 (1 p.m.).

Following their four-game road trip, W&M will play host once again, welcoming Elon to Kaplan Arena on Oct. 7-8 for two 2 p.m. weekend matches.
 
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