NEW YORK - The Columbia volleyball program begins its 2025 season on Friday afternoon, beginning the Big Apple Tournament with a non-conference clash against New Haven at 1 p.m. 

The Lions are hosting a tournament at Levien Gymnasium for the 17th consecutive season, with Fordham, Northeastern, and New Haven all participating this weekend. Columbia will face Northeastern on Friday evening and Fordham on Saturday afternoon.

All fans who plan to attend any of the five matches will need to use the entrance to Levien Gymnasium on 120th Street. 

FULL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
After the Lions kick off the tournament on Friday morning when Fordham battles Northeastern, there will be three more games later in the day. In total, there will be six matches played between Friday and Saturday, all of which will be streamed via ESPN+, and live stats will be available HERE. The full schedule can be found below. 
 
Friday,  September 5: Fordham vs. Northeastern (11 a.m.) - STREAM
Friday, September 5: Columbia vs. New Haven (1:00 p.m.) - STREAM
Friday, September 5: Fordham vs. New Haven (5 p.m.) - STREAM
Friday, September 5: Columbia vs. Northeastern (7:30 p.m.) - STREAM
Saturday, September 6: New Haven vs. Northeastern (Noon) - STREAM
Saturday, September 6: Columbia vs. Fordham (3:00 p.m.) - STREAM

YEAR FOUR
Year four of the Patric Santiago era officially kicks off on Friday afternoon, with the Lions expecting to build on the growth from last season. 

Columbia is coming off a 20224 season in which they finished 4-19 overall and 1-13 in Ivy League play. Columbia finished eighth last season and was once again picked to finish at the bottom of the conference standings in the annual Ivy League Preseason Poll.

However, Santiago and his staff are excited about this season as the program continues to build.

"Oh, we're so excited to be back in our gym and show off the work that we've done during the preseason," Santiago said. "Our newcomers have done a great job of integrating into our culture, and we're really excited for our fans to see what they're all about."

NEW FACES
Columbia welcomed three newcomers this season, a pair of talented outside hitters and a defensive specialist. Two of the new Lions, Lauren Farris and Victoria Gao, come from the West Coast. Farris is from Southern California, while Gao hails from Seattle. Fellow newcomer Elena Maynulet is from Puerto Rico. 

"They are just ballers," Santiago exclaimed. "You know it's always nerve-racking getting in your first college match or scrimmage, but they really stepped up and showed that they are not afraid. So I expect to see a lot of courage and a lot of joy and hopefully some kills from them this weekend!"

You can read more about the newcomers and what Coach Santiago said about each player by clicking HERE.

COMING BACK
The Lions said goodbye to a pair of attacking players who accounted for 298 of their total kills from last season in departing seniors Hailee Watts and Harper Justema. Overall, Columbia brings back a wealth of its attacking talent from last season, including senior opposite Eva Atkins, who finished her junior campaign with a career-best 178 kills. As a team, the Lions return over 63 percent of their kills from last season.

Joining Atkins in the senior class are Presley Liberty, Hanna Vorhies, Juliana Williamson, Ruby van der Heide, and Amanda Holsen.

"Our seniors really know what we are about," Santiago said about this group. "We know what we're trying to accomplish, and what it means to play Columbia volleyball, and as we continue to define that and elevate that, they've really taken the lead, so I'm really proud of that group. They got here together, really stuck together through a lot, and I think they are ready to see some drastic change in the program."

OPPONENT INFO
Rosters, Schedules, and Stats for all the opposing teams can be found below.

Fordham: Roster, Schedule, Stats
New Haven: Roster, Schedule, Stats
Northeastern: Roster, Schedule, Stats

ON DECK
Columbia heads out on the road following the Big Apple Tournament, playing seven contests away from the friendly confines. The seven-match stretch begins with three contests at the Siena Tournament Sept. 12-13 in Loudonville, NY. The Lions will take on Stonehill, Belmont and tournament host Siena.

HOW TO FOLLOW
All Columbia home games and every Ivy League game will be streamed via ESPN+. You can find Friday's game against New Haven HERE.

Live stats will be available via gocolumbialions.com, HERE.

In-game updates will be provided on both Twitter and Instagram.

For the latest on Columbia lacrosse, follow @CULionsVB on Twitter and Instagram, and on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.