2026 EIU Volleyball Schedule

Eastern Illinois volleyball head coach Ryan Millar has announced the Panthers non-conference schedule for the 2026 season which includes a pair of must-see matches at Gardella Family Court this September.
 
The Panthers (24-8) are coming off their second NCAA Tournament appearance in the past three seasons winning both the Ohio Valley Conference regular season and tournament titles before an opening round loss to eventual NCAA Final Four participant Wisconsin.
 
EIU's two big non-conference matches come prior to the OVC season beginning with Big Ten member Illinois coming to Charleston on Wednesday, September 16.   ACC member Notre Dame visits Gardella Family Court on Sunday, September 20 as the Panthers play a weekend home-and-home series with the Fighting Irish starting with a Friday evening match in South Bend.
 
EIU fans will have two other preseason opportunities to see this year's Panthers team at home with an exhibition match against Indiana State on August 15 and the EIU Black/Blue Scrimmage on August 24.  The Panthers will play their other preseason exhibition at Bradley on August 21.
 
The regular season opens at the Dayton / Wright State Tournament with matches against Santa Clara, Wright State and Dayton from August 28-29.
 
The second week of the season is a trip to the BYU / Utah NIKE Invitational with a Sept. 3 match at BYU before Sept. 4-5 contests in Salt Lake City against Long Beach State and Wyoming.
 
EIU's final in-season tournament will be a one-day trip to Indiana to face Cal Poly and the host Hoosiers on Sept. 11.
 
The Ohio Valley Conference schedule for EIU will be released in early June highlighting the league's nine-member configuration for the 2026 season. 
 
Information on reserved chairback seats at Gardella Family Court at McAfee Gym will be available starting June 1.