RICHMOND, Va. (Oct. 6, 2022) – Colonial Athletic Association competition heats up with the calendar turning to October, as a full field hockey Friday is joined by the midpoint of league play in men’s soccer and weekends of competition in women’s soccer and volleyball. In addition, CAA Champions compete in Wilmington and the majority of conference cross country teams converge on the Lehigh Valley.
Volleyball
Three teams - Delaware, Hofstra and Towson - have remained unscathed, posting 6-0 records in conference play through the first three weeks of the CAA schedule. All eyes should be on Newark this weekend with a battle of unbeaten and streaking teams as Delaware hosts Towson. The Tigers have dropped just five sets total this fall en route to the nation’s longest active winning streak, beginning the year 16-0. Meanwhile, the Blue Hens enter the matchup with a winning streak of their own as just one of 11 teams nationally winning nine straight matches. Towson ranks top-10 nationally in aces per set (6th/2.06), assists per set (4th/13.36), hitting percentage (6th/0.305), kills per set (6th/14.28), and opponent hitting percentage (9th/0.149) while leading the CAA in blocks per set (2.62). Subsequently, Delaware leads the league in digs per set (15.25) while ranking behind the Tigers in hitting percentage (0.237), assists per set (12.62), kills per set (13.63) and aces per set (1.67). The series could go a long way in deciding the regular season champion and seeding for the CAA Tournament.
Additionally, Hofstra attempts to stay unbeaten against Charleston in an intriguing matchup. When the Pride and Cougars get together, the competition is fierce. Charleston maintains a slim 11-10 advantage in the all-time series, and nine of the 21 matches have gone five sets. They faced three times last season, with Charleston sweeping the two regular season matches, but Hofstra got the last laugh, defeating the Cougars in the first round of the CAA Championship. |
Weekend Schedule
Field Hockey
The first full weekend of CAA Field Hockey saw Delaware, Northeastern, and No. 20 William & Mary emerge victoriously. There are three more conference matchups on the docket this weekend, including Towson opening its CAA schedule by entertaining Hofstra on Friday (3 p.m., FloLive). The Tigers are looking to win their CAA Opener for the first time since 2011, while the Pride attempts to earn its first CAA victory this season after a double-overtime defeat to Northeastern last Friday. Hofstra has had Towson’s number, having won the last 11 matchups and holding a 31-11 edge all-time. At 5 p.m. (FloLive), the only two teams to win the CAA Championship in the past nine seasons will get together in Williamsburg as No. 20 William & Mary entertains Delaware. The teams have met nine times over the past five seasons, including four postseason showdowns. The Blue Hens hold a 7-2 advantage during that span, but William & Mary is the only team besides Delaware to win the CAA Championship since 2013, defeating the Blue Hens in the 2018 Championship match.
On Sunday, No. 20 William & Mary plays host to Drexel (12 p.m., FloLive) in the final conference match this weekend. Despite the Tribe’s recent success, winning six straight matchups, the all-time series has been competitive, with William & Mary maintaining a 14-8 edge. Additionally, there are four non-conference contests later in the day, highlighted by Delaware taking on another ranked opponent from the Commonwealth. The Blue Hens will host No. 13 Old Dominion (1 p.m., FloLive) in Delaware’s eighth test against a top-25 foe this fall. |
Weekend Schedule
Men’s Soccer
Wins last weekend from Elon, UNCW, and Hofstra pushed those three teams to double-digit points with four Saturdays remaining but only two of them can earn a victory this week. The Seahawks and Pride will meet Saturday night in Wilmington (7 p.m., FloFC) in a pivotal matchup with implications for a top-two seed that comes with a home semifinal and first-round bye. Elon will aim to stay atop the table when it hosts William & Mary (7:30 p.m., FloFC).
The day will begin on Long Island as Stony Brook faces a Charleston side off to its best CAA start in recent years (12 p.m., FloFC), while a pair of 4 p.m. contests on FloFC send Monmouth to Northeasten and Drexel to Delaware.
Weekend Schedule
Women’s Soccer
Thursday’s slate starts early with Monmouth hosting Hampton (4 p.m., FloFC) before five night games around the league. Drexel, currently in first place with nine points, hosts a Hofstra side looking to bounce back from early-season struggles (6 p.m., FloFC), while William & Mary, one point back of the Dragons, hosts a Northeastern team coming off a big weekend (7 p.m., FloFC). Elsewhere on Thursday, Stony Brook will visit Delaware (6 p.m., FloFC), Towson heads to Charleston (7 p.m., FloFC) and Elon takes an in-state trip to UNCW (7 p.m., FloFC).
Northeastern will play Hampton on Saturday in a game played at William & Mary (8 p.m.) before five games all in the 1 p.m. window on Sunday. Stony Brook visits Drexel, Towson heads to UNCW, Elon travels down the coast to Charleston, Delaware hosts Hofstra, and William & Mary welcomes Monmouth. |
Weekend Schedule
Cross Country
Only two cross country teams will be in action this weekend. On Friday, Charleston heads to Charlotte for the Royals Challenge, hosted by Queens (N.C.), while Northeastern returns to Franklin Park on Saturday for the New England Cross Country Championships.
Swimming & Diving
Delaware, Drexel and Towson open their 2022-23 swimming and diving seasons this weekend as the Blue Hens hosts UMBC and Johns Hopkins, the Dragons welcome La Salle and Towson travels to George Mason. UNCW entertains ACC foe Georgia Tech and Northeastern takes on UConn and Rhode Island.
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