Texas A&M volleyball will open its 2021 season in Honolulu as the squad competes in the Hawaiian Airlines Rainbow Classic at Stan Sheriff Center. The three-day tournament begins Friday, Aug. 27 and will conclude Sunday, Aug. 29 commencing the Aggies’ 47th volleyball campaign.

The Aggies will start the tournament with a match against Marquette University on Friday, followed by Fairfield University on Saturday and the University of Hawaii on Sunday.

The maroon and white is coming off of an up-and-down season in 2020 after being heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. After starting the season 9-4, the team spiraled to lose its last five matches of the season, including sweeps by Missouri and Florida.

Coach Laura “Bird” Kuhn enters her fourth season coaching the squad. Her tenure has been highlighted by a strong 2019 campaign, during which the Aggies donned a 23-8 record in the regular season and appeared in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

The team boasts new faces as well as returning talent heading into the campaign. With 13 returned players, including five starters, the Aggies welcome two transfers this season. Fifth-year defensive specialist Macy Carrabine joined the squad from Denver and junior Destiny Cox comes from North Carolina.

A&M will open the season unranked and is predicted to finish seventh in the Southeastern Conference in the preseason coach’s poll, according to secsports.com. The SEC will be one of the most competitive conferences in the country, as two teams, Florida and Kentucky, enter the season ranked in the top 10.

The opening match of the tournament against Marquette will start at 9:45 p.m. on Aug. 27.