EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – Four tournaments and 12 home events highlight the 2026 SIUE volleyball schedule released Monday by SIUE Head Coach Kendall Paulus.

The Cougars begin the 2026 campaign with two exhibitions matches. The first is a road contest at Illinois State (Aug. 15) followed by the home debut at First Community Arena against Saint Louis (Aug. 22).

The tournament portion of the schedule begins Aug. 28 when the Cougars travel to Fayetteville, Arkansas, for the Arkansas Razorback Invitational. SIUE faces Arkansas (Aug. 28), UT Arlington (Aug. 29) and UTSA (Aug. 29).

A three-day trip to Denver, Colorado, to open the month of September features host Denver (Sep. 3), Marist (Sep. 4) and Idaho (Sep. 5).

The regular season opener follows with the 2026 SIUE Cougar Classic. The Cougars play host to Arkansas Pine Bluff (Sep. 11), Chicago State (Sep. 11) and Northern Illinois (Sep. 12) for fans at First Community Arena.

SIUE's final tournament before the beginning of the Ohio Valley Conference regular season is at Clarksville, Tennessee, for the Austin Peay Governors Classic. The Cougars meet SIU Carbondale (Sep. 18), host Austin Peay (Sep. 18) and Gardner-Webb (Sep. 19).

The OVC schedule includes home contests at First Community Arena against UT Martin (Sep. 25-26), Tennessee State (Oct. 9-10), Morehead State (Nov. 6-7), and Southern Indiana (Nov. 17-18).

SIUE's road OVC schedule includes Southeast Missouri (Oct. 2-3), Lindenwood (Oct. 21 and 23), Western Illinois (Oct. 30-31) and Eastern Illinois (Nov. 12-13).

The OVC Championships is set for Nov. 22-24 and is to be held on the campus of the OVC regular season champion and the No. 1 seed.