NEWARK, NJ--As the 2021 men's volleyball season approaches, the EIVA will have a different format for its conference schedule.

All competing member programs will begin conference play the weekend of Feb. 5-7, 2021, with each team visiting the other programs for two-match weekend series through the remainder of the regular season. This will give every competing program four matches against the rest of the EIVA's teams. The start date of Feb. 5 allows programs that are permitted to compete against non-conference teams to do so in January, and EIVA members also may choose to hold non-conference matches during the week through the rest of the season.

In addition, the 2021 EIVA Tournament will include every playing program. The tournament will begin with first-round matches the weekend of April 16-18, with the higher seed of each match as host, and the semifinals and finals set for the regular-season champion's gym on April 22 and 24.

The changes to the regular-season conference schedule and tournament format follow the decision by the Ivy League to not allow athletic competition for spring sports until at least March 1, 2021. This decision includes the schools' non-Ivy sports programs and impacts EIVA members Harvard and Princeton.

Additionally, the EIVA has set up a number of safety protocols to assist in the safety of student-athletes and staff. Among the protocols, masks or face coverings will be required on the court.

The admittance of fans to matches will be left to the regulations set by each match's host institution.