Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Thursday, November 5
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
5:00 PM
Middle Tennessee
16-9,7-6CUSA
2
vs
3
Sam Houston
17-9,8-5CUSA
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Houston | 25 | 25 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 3 |
| Middle Tenn. | 18 | 22 | 25 | 25 | 13 | 2 |
11/5/2026 8:52:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — The Middle Tennessee volleyball team fell in a tightly contested five-set match to Sam Houston at the Alumni Memorial Gym Thursday night.
MTSU (16-9, 7-6 Conference USA) dropped the first two sets before firing back to win sets three and four to force a fifth set.
"I thought we were really letting them really control the match [early]," head coach Alexa Keckler said. "[After the second set], it was more or less like 'let's go five.'"
Statistically, the match was as tight as the scoreline, with both teams tying for kills with 58. Middle Tennessee led the match in aces with 11 to the Bearkats' (17-9, 8-5) seven.
Sam Houston out-dug MTSU 59-51.
Sophia Henry picked up her fourth double-double of the season with 16 kills and 10 digs.
Henry and Sam Houston's Chloe Monson remained neck-and-neck for the CUSA kills race, with Monson edging Henry 354-351 after the first match of the week.
Michaela Dlouhá extended her conference lead in blocks, picking up nine Thursday. Dlouhá now has 133 on the season.
Gabrielle Clinkscale picked up her highest kill total since Sept. 19, putting away 15 versus the Bearkats.
Danit Cohen and Caroline Macander assisted 24 and 20 on the night, respectively.
Sam Houston won the first two sets 25-18 and 25-22.
A pivotal third set to stay alive saw the Blue Raiders change the momentum of the match, winning a convincing 25-13. A Henry kill followed by a block by Logan Carr and Henry ended the set.
Needing to win the fourth set to stay alive, MTSU did just that, winning again by double-digit points, and taking a 25-15 victory that was completed again by a Carr and Henry block.
A 4-0 Middle Tennessee run began the climactic fifth set, but the Bearkats did not go down easy, going on a 6-2 run to knot the match at 6-6.
The Blue Raiders then went on a 7-5 run to a 13-11 lead. However, it was not to be for MTSU as Sam Houston closed out the match with a 4-0 run to the finish.
Notes
--MTSU falls to 2-3 all-time versus Sam Houston.
--Henry leads the Blue Raiders in double-doubles with four.
--MTSU is now 3-3 (.500) when going five sets in 2026.
--The Blue Raiders are now fifth in CUSA, with most teams in the conference set to begin play on the weekend Friday.
Up Next
Middle Tennessee play one last time at home at 1 p.m. in the Alumni Memorial Gym Friday. The Blue Raiders have already clinched a winning home record in 2026, but will look to close at the AMG in winning fashion.
The match will be streamed on ESPN+ with live stats available on StatBroadcast.
Follow The Blue Raiders
Stay up to date with Blue Raider Volleyball on Instagram (@mt_volleyball), X (@MT_Volleyball), and Facebook (Middle Tennessee Volleyball).
MTSU (16-9, 7-6 Conference USA) dropped the first two sets before firing back to win sets three and four to force a fifth set.
"I thought we were really letting them really control the match [early]," head coach Alexa Keckler said. "[After the second set], it was more or less like 'let's go five.'"
Statistically, the match was as tight as the scoreline, with both teams tying for kills with 58. Middle Tennessee led the match in aces with 11 to the Bearkats' (17-9, 8-5) seven.
Sam Houston out-dug MTSU 59-51.
Sophia Henry picked up her fourth double-double of the season with 16 kills and 10 digs.
Henry and Sam Houston's Chloe Monson remained neck-and-neck for the CUSA kills race, with Monson edging Henry 354-351 after the first match of the week.
Michaela Dlouhá extended her conference lead in blocks, picking up nine Thursday. Dlouhá now has 133 on the season.
Gabrielle Clinkscale picked up her highest kill total since Sept. 19, putting away 15 versus the Bearkats.
Danit Cohen and Caroline Macander assisted 24 and 20 on the night, respectively.
Sam Houston won the first two sets 25-18 and 25-22.
A pivotal third set to stay alive saw the Blue Raiders change the momentum of the match, winning a convincing 25-13. A Henry kill followed by a block by Logan Carr and Henry ended the set.
Needing to win the fourth set to stay alive, MTSU did just that, winning again by double-digit points, and taking a 25-15 victory that was completed again by a Carr and Henry block.
A 4-0 Middle Tennessee run began the climactic fifth set, but the Bearkats did not go down easy, going on a 6-2 run to knot the match at 6-6.
The Blue Raiders then went on a 7-5 run to a 13-11 lead. However, it was not to be for MTSU as Sam Houston closed out the match with a 4-0 run to the finish.
Notes
--MTSU falls to 2-3 all-time versus Sam Houston.
--Henry leads the Blue Raiders in double-doubles with four.
--MTSU is now 3-3 (.500) when going five sets in 2026.
--The Blue Raiders are now fifth in CUSA, with most teams in the conference set to begin play on the weekend Friday.
Up Next
Middle Tennessee play one last time at home at 1 p.m. in the Alumni Memorial Gym Friday. The Blue Raiders have already clinched a winning home record in 2026, but will look to close at the AMG in winning fashion.
The match will be streamed on ESPN+ with live stats available on StatBroadcast.
Follow The Blue Raiders
Stay up to date with Blue Raider Volleyball on Instagram (@mt_volleyball), X (@MT_Volleyball), and Facebook (Middle Tennessee Volleyball).
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballTeam Stats
SHSU
MTSU
Kills
58
58
Errors
26
21
Attempts
145
146
Hitting %
.221
.253
Points
75.0
83.0
Assists
57
49
Aces
7
11
Blocks
10
14
Game Leaders
Kills
16
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
15
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
10
Aces
1
Blocks
9
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Thursday, November 05
Friday, September 11
Monday, August 10
Tuesday, October 21
