BUIES CREEK, N.C. - The Fighting Camels are set to take the court for their only preseason action with an exhibition at Liberty Saturday at 1 p.m. The teams have agreed to play five sets, regardless of the match score.

Live stats will be available at the link on the volleyball schedule page. 

Campbell officially begins its 2021 campaign a week from today on Aug. 27 against CSUN at the Galen Center on the campus of USC. Campbell's home opener will follow a week later on Sept. 3 against James Madison.

With first serve right around the corner, here's what you need to know ahead of the 2021 season:

Preseason Honors
Campbell was picked second in the Big South preseason coaches poll, matching where the team finished last season. That marks the Camels' highest selection since rejoining the Big South conference in 2011. 

Two Camels, Lailah Green and Claranne Fechter, were tabbed to the preseason all-conference team. Each were all-conference performers a season ago.

Green, a junior outside hitter, was first-team all-conference in the spring as she led the league in kills/set at 3.62. Green tallied double-digit kills in 12 of 16 matches last season along with six double-doubles.

Fechter, a sophomore libero, was named to second-team all-conference last season as well as a member of the all-freshman squad. The Powell, Ohio native found her footing late in the season and posted 20+ digs in four of the final six matches.

Notable Returners
In addition to Green and Fechter, three other players that received all-conference recognition in the spring return to the Campbell roster. 

Chloe Cook was the Big South Freshman of the Year in the spring after taking home four of the eight Freshman of the Week awards during the season. Cook was also named second-team all-conference. The Nacogdoches, Texas native finished eighth in the league in kills/set and the highest among freshmen (2.65).

Sarah Colla and Melody Paige were each all-conference honorable mentions and return to the Campbell roster. Colla remained effective even as her numbers dipped from her blistering first two seasons in The Creek, and she posted 2.52 kills/set. Paige posted the second highest hitting percentage in a season in program history with an uber-efficient .362. 

Roster Experience
All but one player that saw time on the court last season returns to this season's roster. The 12 returners account for 99% of last season's kills, blocks and digs and 100% of assists and aces. Including the two transfers, this roster has played in 592 combined matches. 

Madee Miner brings the most experience to the team, returning as a fifth year senior with her extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA. Miner has appeared in 99 career matches and 331 sets. She will likely crack the program's top 25 for all-time sets played by the end of this season. 

While last year's team had just one active senior, this year's squad will feature four including Miner. Sarah Colla, Kate Menz and Hailey Wilson are all seniors this year. 

Five New Faces
Campbell brought in five newcomers to join the 2021 roster, made up of three freshmen and two transfers. Riley Dean, Maggie Salisbury and Jaden Tuttle comprise the freshmen class, while Emily Campe and McKenna Sciacca are the transfers.

Dean, a San Diego, Calif. native, is one of seven Camels from the Golden State. She slots in as a defensive specialist. 

Salisbury is a local product from Raleigh. At 6'3" she is tied for tallest on the team and will help hold things down up front as a middle blocker. 

Tuttle is another NC native, hailing from Pilot Mountain. She joins the roster and helps add even more depth at setter, as one of four on the roster.

Campe joins the Camels as a redshirt freshman after a year at Virginia Tech. Campe will play on the front row as a right side hitter, matching Salisbury at 6'3".

Sciacca is a redshirt sophomore from Northern Colorado. She was the 2018 Colorado Gatorade Player of the Year and joins the setters group.

2020 By the Numbers
Campbell finished second in the Big South regular season with an 11-5 record. The Camels started hot, winning each of the first five matches of the year by straight sets. 

The Camels were stout on both sides of the ball, posting the league's third highest hitting percentage (.203) and second-best opponent hitting percentage (.129).

Campbell led the league in kills/set at 13.90, also good for 21st in the country. The Camels sat in the top three in the country in the category for nearly a month of the season.

Serving was a strong suit for the Camels as well, as they paced the conference in aces/set with 1.75.

Campbell Hosting Home Tournament
The Fighting Camels will host the Fairfield Inn & Suites Dunn Campbell Invitational on Sept. 3-4. James Madison, NC Central and Alabama State will all be part of the round-robin event. Campbell faces James Madison on Friday, Sept. 3 at 6 p.m. in the season's home opener, followed by a doubleheader Saturday against Alabama State at 11 a.m. and NC Central at 6 o'clock. Friday night's match will be available on ESPN+.

Season Streaming Schedule
As it stands right now, 15 regular season matches are scheduled to be streamed. All three matches of the opening weekend at USC will be available on the USC Live Stream and PAC-12 Plus. The match at UNC Wilmington will be broadcast on Flo Volleyball. The other 11 streaming assignments will be on ESPN+, the Big South's broadcast partner. The streaming schedule is subject to change. 

Camels to host Big South Championship
Campbell will host the Big South Championship at Gore Arena Nov. 19-21. The top six teams in the league will ascend on Buies Creek to compete for the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The top two seeds at the championship will receive first-round byes. 

Newcomers and Number Changes
The newcomers will the following numbers this season:
#5 - Emily Campe
#7 - Maggie Salisbury
#9 - Riley Dean
#14 - McKenna Sciacca
#17 - Jaden Tuttle

Green will change her number from 17 to 16. 

Keep Up with the Camels
Follow @GoCamelsVB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for the latest updates and team content throughout the season. News and team information will be posted throughout the year right here on the new-look GoCamels.com.