NASHUA — New coach, but same tough competition.

The Rivier University women’s volleyball team announced its 2022 schedule and the Raiders look to continue their winning ways behind new head coach Jeff Costa (pictured above). Last season, the last under longtime successful coach Craig Kolek, the Raiders saw an incredible conference run going perfect during the regular season at 13-0 and 21-6 overall. They hosted the GNAC Championship but unfortunately fell to Johnson & Wales in four sets.

Kolek stepped aside in the spring to focus more on his assistant AD duties and the men’s volleyball program, which he’ll continue to coach.

The Raiders retain numerous standouts coming into the 2022 season, including Avery Pollard (Ballston Lake, NY), Sydney Racevicius (Woodbury, CT), Sofia pawlusik (Burnt Hills, NY), and Lily Sills (Carlisle, MA).

Pollard will be back for one more season, making up her Covid year, and she will do so after earning GNAC Player of the Year and a First Team All-Conference selection. Pawlusik also took home a major award last year as the Libero of the Year, along with a First Team and an All-Rookie Team selection. Racevicious was selected to the GNAC Second Team, while Sills, as a freshman, landed on Third Team and All-Rookie Team.

This season will see women’s volleyball play in 29 regular season matches, with 13 being GNAC contests. The Raiders schedule breaks down to have 12 home contests with 17 road matches. Game one comes Friday, Sept. 2 against national power Springfield at 7:30 p.m. The home opener comes Saturday, Sept. 10 against Wellesley at 11:00 a.m. and Castleton at 3 p.m. That tri-match sets up a five-game homestand for the Raiders, where they will play all non-conference opponents.

Rivier has set itself up with a tough non-conference schedule for 2022 with teams like Springfield, Keene State, and Amherst College. Keene State’s match is set for Saturday, September 3rd at 1 p.m., while Amherst is set for Saturday, Sept. 24 at 5 p.m.

Rounding out the Raiders non-conference schedule are Emerson, Southern Maine, Gordon, Western New England, and Bay Path.

Great Northeast Athletic Conference play won’t begin until Wednesday, September 28 against Colby-Sawyer in the Muldoon Center at 7 p.m. Riv will play their first tough GNAC contest on Oct. 13 when it travels to Simmons University, who finished in second place last season with a record of 11-2 and 19-7 overall. The anticipated rematch with JWU is set to be played at the end of the season on Wednesday, October 26 at 7 p.m. in the Muldoon.