Follow
There is no easing into the 2020 regular season for Charleston.
Charleston as part of unveiling its 2020 schedule announced it will open the season with a two-match road series against the defending NCAA Tournament finalists Hawai’i on Jan. 3-4.
This will be the first all-time meeting between the two programs. In the Golden Eagles’ five-year history, the series will be the third time they have traveled to the West Coast and the first time during a West Coast trip they will play a road match versus a nationally ranked team.
Hawai’i returns three All-American starters who helped the team last season win the Big West championship and advance to the NCAA Tournament finals for the first time in 17 years.
Opposite Rado Parapunov, the 2019 Bryan Ivie Award recipient, was in the nation’s top 10 with a both a 4.07 kills per game average and a .420 attack percentage. He also spent the offseason playing for the Bulgarian Men’s National Team in the FIVB Volleyball Nations League.
Along with Parapunov, libero Gage Worsley won the 2019 Erik Shoji Award and was sixth in the country averaging 2.44 digs per game. Middle attacker Patrick Gasman finished last season second in the nation with a 1.42 blocks per game average and won the Off the Block Blocker of the Year honor.
The Rainbow Warriors enter this series against the Golden Eagles on a 17-match home winning streak dating back to the 2018 season.
Charleston under first-year head coach Mike Iandolo did not qualify for the four-team EIVA Tournament last season.
The team, though, returns a majority of starters, including outside attacker Max Senica and middle attacker Adriel Roberts who were both named to the 2019 Off the Block All-World Team. Senica was among the 2019 EIVA leaders averaging both 2.25 kills per game and 1.54 digs per game, while Robets was fourth in the conference with a .334 attack percentage.
The matches against Hawai’i will be Charleston’s first of four non-conference matches versus Big West teams in 2020.
Charleston also will face UC Irvine on March 20 and the two-time defending NCAA champions Long Beach State on March 21.
Charleston 2020 schedule
Jan. 3 at Hawai’i
Jan. 4 at Hawai’
Jan. 11 vs. Princeton
Jan. 12 vs. Princeton
Jan. 17 vs. Erskine
Jan. 24 at Loyola
Jan. 25 at Lewis
Jan. 31 vs. Queens
Feb. 7 vs. George Mason
Feb. 8 vs. Tusculum
Feb. 14 vs. Sacred Heart
Feb. 15 vs. Sacred Heart
Feb. 28 at St. Francis
Feb. 29 at Penn State
March 5 at King
March 7 at George Mason
March 13 vs. McKendree
March 13 vs. McKendree
March 20 vs. UC Irvine (neutral site)
March 21 vs. Long Beach State (neutral site)
March 27 at NJIT
March 28 at NJIT
April 3 at Harvard
April 4 at Harvard
April 10 vs. King
April 11 vs. Urbana
April 16 vs. Penn State
April 18 vs. St. Francis