NORFOLK, Va. – The 2016 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) volleyball season begins this weekend with all 13 MEAC teams competing in 44 non-conference matches.

The defending MEAC Tournament Champion Howard Bison will begin the season at the District of Columbia Volleyball Challenge in Washington, D.C., on Friday, Aug. 26 against George Mason and on Saturday, Aug. 27 against Georgetown and American. Howard was picked to win the northern division as the Bison posted an 11-1 conference mark and an 18-14 overall record last season.

Bethune-Cookman, selected as the preseason favorite in the southern division, opens its season on Friday at the Florida Atlantic Invitational. The Lady Wildcats, who finished last season with a 15-16 overall mark and a 10-0 MEAC record, will face host Florida Atlantic and Northeastern on Friday, followed by matches against North Florida and Drake on Saturday.

Additional season openers include Coppin State (U.S. Naval Academy Kristen Dickman Invitational), Delaware State (Maryland Invite), Florida A&M (FIU/Miami Tournament), Hampton (Temple Invitational), Maryland Eastern Shore (ISTAP Collegiate Cup), Morgan State (La Salle Invitational), Norfolk State (Virginia Tech/Radford Invitational), North Carolina A&T State (ISTAP Collegiate Cup), North Carolina Central (James Madison Invitational), Savannah State (Benson Invitational) and South Carolina State (Chattanooga Classic).

Conference play begins on Friday, Sept. 23 with 10 teams in action. The 2016 MEAC Volleyball Championship is slated for Nov. 18-20 at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in Princess Anne, Md.