Labor Day weekend marks more than just the beginning of the new academic year. From September 1-3, the New York University women's volleyball, men's and women's soccer, and men's and women's cross country teams will return to competition to kick off the 2023 season. 

The John A. Paulson Center will open its doors on Friday to host its first invitational, the NYU Women's Volleyball Season Opener, after first opening several of its athletic facilities in March. The Violets will compete against Ithaca College, Kean University and Millikin University over the span of two days, facing off against Ithaca for the first match at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, September 1. 

The volleyball squad heads into the season ranked fourth in the American Volleyball Coaches Association preseason poll. They maintain their national ranking after making it to the Final Four of the NCAA Division III Tournament last year.

Captained by the trio of Haley Holz, Chloe Hum and Ella Weider, eight new players will join the team including five freshmen, one sophomore, and two graduate students. Holz, Lindsey Hirano and Leela Anvekar all return as AVCA All-Americans. 

"After a successful run last year, the team has been working hard during the off-season to prepare for this season's opportunities," said Head Coach Andrew Brown. "With the addition of our first-year and grad transfers students, our seasoned team has been putting in a ton of work both on and off the court. This year's group is poised and ready to get to work and show our fans what we've been building."

Also playing at home this weekend are the men's and women's soccer teams. On Friday, the men will play Montclair St. University in Montclair, NJ, at 7:00 p.m. while the women face Mt. St. Mary College at 6:00 p.m. in Newburgh, NY. Both teams will then host their second games of the season on Sunday, the women playing Vassar College at 3:00 p.m. and the men matching up against the United States Merchant Marine Academy at 5:30 p.m at one of the Violets' new home sites, Rutgers Newark University in Newark, NJ.

Scott Waddell will be leading the women's team as head coach for the first time after serving as an assistant at NYU from 2020-22. His squad, captained by 2022 All-Region IV First Team member Gabriella Funk, went 9-3-5 last season for its eighth-straight winning campaign. 

"We've had a solid pre-season and we know we have the potential to do something really special," Waddell said. "I think the team is really excited to start and continue to grow with the intention of having some momentum heading into UAA (University Athletic Association) play. We want to make some real noise on the national level for sure, but we're focused on the process and enjoying the journey."  

The men's team comes off a 9-5-3 record and an appearance in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Arkan Tahsildaroglu, the 2022 University Athletic Association (UAA) Offensive Player of the Year, will serve as captain alongside Connor Reynolds, Daniel Comas-Sanchez and Luca Mancuso. 

"We are returning many players with great experience who know what it takes to compete at the level we are striving to attain," said Head Coach Kim Wyant. "We have challenged ourselves through our scheduling of high-level opponents, so each game will be an enormous test. The group has been hard at work during our preseason putting in the necessary work. There is great comradery combined with high standards, which sets us up well for the upcoming matches." 

For their season openers, NYU's men's and women's cross country teams will take to the hills on Friday for the Vassar College Season Starter in Poughkeepsie, NY. 

One of the men's returning runners, Ryan Tobin, was the Violets' lone competitor at the 2022 NCAA Division III Cross Country National Championship.

"I've been really excited with our energy and our approach to this season," Tobin said. "We've really become a team that is process driven, rather than results driven. When we break it down, we're all here because we love to run, to compete, and to push each other to get better every day. This mindset has us ready to grind out this season and let our work take us where we need to be."

The women's squad will look to continue its success after qualifying for the NCAA Championship last season, the first time since 2013. Grace Richardson, who earned All-America honors as a first-year NYU graduate student, returns along with Katherine Cheng, who also competed at Nationals.   

"Our first few weeks of training have been super encouraging, and I can't wait to see how we can all push each other to be better," Cheng said. "The progress we made as a team last season makes me really excited to see what we can do this year. Our incoming group of freshmen and grad students are extremely talented, and I know they'll help build upon the improvement we made last season."

Let the games (and races) begin.......