Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Middle Tennessee
Jax State
Volleyball heads to Jax State for first road conference matches
10/2/2025 2:00:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. – Middle Tennessee Volleyball is on the road to Jacksonville, Ala. for the next series in Conference USA play. The Blue Raiders will take on the Gamecocks of Jacksonville State on Friday, October 3 at 6:00 p.m. and Saturday, October 4 at 2:00 p.m.
Middle Tennessee sits at 6th in the Conference USA standings entering this weekend's matchup with Jax State. In their last outing, the Blue Raiders split with Kennesaw State, sweeping the Owls in their CUSA debut.
The Blue Raider defense continues to shine, averaging 14.81 digs per set and 2.21 blocks per set. Three Blue Raiders combined for five double-digit dig matches and Middle Tennessee as a unit posted 16 total blocks through both contests. Offensively, Raegan Durbin, Payton Deidesheimer, Gabrielle Clinkscale and Michaela Dlouhá lead the Blue Raiders, Durbin and Clinkscale each posting double-digit kill contributions against Kennesaw State. Durbin and Caroline Macander both notched double-doubles against the Owls.
The Blue Raiders received their first conference nod of the season as Raegan Durbin was named Conference USA Freshman of the Week, announced by the league office on Monday, September 29. Across both contests against Kennesaw State, Durbin totaled 26 kills and 29 digs, securing a double-double in each match, averaging 3.71 kills per set and a remarkable 4.14 digs per set from the outside pin. Her 19-dig match in the first contest against the Owls is now tied in the top three performances in the CUSA leaderboard for digs in a three-set match. Her weekend performance also garnered her TSWA Volleyball Player of the Week honors, the second time a Blue Raider has received the honors this season.
Scouting the Jacksonville State Gamecocks
Jax State enters the matchup with a 6-8 record under the leadership of Dex Schroeder in his 3rd season. The Gamecocks currently sit 10th in the CUSA rankings with an 0-2 record in conference play.
Statistically, the Blue Raiders and Gamecocks appear to be evenly matched, the Blue Raiders with the edge defensively; Middle Tennessee with 14.81 digs per set to 13.8 for Jax State and 2.21 Blue Raider blocks per set to 1.4 Gamecock blocks per set.
Jax State is led by Kayla Williams, a senior outside hitter with 213 kills on the season, making up 34 percent of the Gamecocks offense. Williams sits 2nd in the CUSA rankings in kills and kills per set. Luci Wilkinson leads Jax State defensively with 236 digs on the season, 2nd in the conference in digs and digs per set. Charlee Solomon distributes the Gamecock offense, tallying 479 assists on the season. Solomon leads Conference USA in assists and is 2nd in assists per set.
Middle Tennessee leads the series against Jax State 4-2, the Blue Raiders on a four-game winning streak against the Gamecocks. Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+.
Quick Facts
- MTSU is 2nd in Conference USA in digs per set, 5th in blocks per set and aces per set.
- Raegan Durbin was named CUSA Freshman of the Week and TSWA Volleyball Player of the Week.
- Caroline Macander has surpassed 500 career assists, currently 5th in the conference in assists and assists per set.
- Michaela Dlouhá and Isil Yilmaz are also on the CUSA leaderboards, Dlouhá 3rd in blocks and Yilmaz 8th in digs.
Keeping Up with the Blue Raiders
Follow the Blue Raiders on social media:
Twitter/X @MT_Volleyball (https://twitter.com/MT_Volleyball)
Instagram @mt_volleyball (https://www.instagram.com/mt_volleyball/)
and Facebook Middle Tennessee Blue Raider Volleyball (https://www.facebook.com/BlueRaiderVolleyball).
