Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Friday, August 28
Asheville, N.C.
11:00 AM
Middle Tennessee
1-0,0-0CUSA
3
vs
2
Boise State
0-1,0-0Pac-12
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middle Tenn. | 25 | 29 | 21 | 23 | 15 | 3 |
| Boise St. | 23 | 27 | 25 | 25 | 12 | 2 |
Volleyball Opens Season with Thrilling Five-Set Win over Boise State
8/28/2026 6:15:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
ASHEVILLE, N.C. — The Middle Tennessee volleyball team won their opening match of the season Saturday as the Blue Raiders won 3-2 in a five-set thriller Saturday over Boise State at the Justice Center.
MTSU (1-0) took a 2-0 lead early after winning sets one and two. However, the Broncos (0-1) regained momentum, taking the next two sets to force a fifth.
Michaela Dlouhá led Middle Tennessee on the day, recording a career-high tying 16 kills and seven total blocks. Gabriella Clinkscale was also among the Blue Raider stat leaders on the day, recording 13 kills.
Danielle Lee followed with 12 kills and three block assists.
MTSU won a very tight first set 25-23 after deadlocks at 7-7, 13-13 and 19-19. The decisive point came via a Boise State attacking error.
After a close first, the second somehow outdid the preceding set, ending 29-27 in favor of the Blue Raiders. After overcoming a five-point deficit at 21-16, Middle Tennessee rallied to tie the match at 21-21 before finally pulling away to win the set.
Notably, Kendall Mignerey picked up the set-winning kill, which was the first of her court volleyball career.
Avoiding the sweep, the Broncos won sets three and four decisively to force a fifth set.
After winning the coin toss, MTSU took the lead immediately on a Mignerey ace, which sparked a 3-0 rally to begin the set.
Facing an 8-2 deficit, Boise State waged a comeback, going on a 7-1 run to knot the match at 9-9.
However, Middle Tennessee closed the door with a 6-3 run to the victory, capping off the opening day victory with a Dlouhá kill.
The Blue Raiders close the Bulldog Invitational Saturday at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. CST, rematching with the Broncos before playing the hosts, UNC Asheville (1-0). Live stats for both contests will be available via Sidearm Sports.
Saturday's matchup with the Bulldogs will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Match Notes
--Ellie Watts, Addison Burks, Jaslyn Reed, Marianne Garcia and Kendall Mignerey each made their collegiate debuts on the day. Mignerey previously played four years of beach volleyball at Florida Atlantic.
--Head coach Alexa Keckler is now 2-0 in opening matches at MTSU and her teams have won four of their last five opening matches, dating back to her time with Lehigh.
--MTSU is now 1-1 all-time versus Boise State
Follow the Blue Raiders
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).
MTSU (1-0) took a 2-0 lead early after winning sets one and two. However, the Broncos (0-1) regained momentum, taking the next two sets to force a fifth.
Michaela Dlouhá led Middle Tennessee on the day, recording a career-high tying 16 kills and seven total blocks. Gabriella Clinkscale was also among the Blue Raider stat leaders on the day, recording 13 kills.
Danielle Lee followed with 12 kills and three block assists.
MTSU won a very tight first set 25-23 after deadlocks at 7-7, 13-13 and 19-19. The decisive point came via a Boise State attacking error.
After a close first, the second somehow outdid the preceding set, ending 29-27 in favor of the Blue Raiders. After overcoming a five-point deficit at 21-16, Middle Tennessee rallied to tie the match at 21-21 before finally pulling away to win the set.
Notably, Kendall Mignerey picked up the set-winning kill, which was the first of her court volleyball career.
Avoiding the sweep, the Broncos won sets three and four decisively to force a fifth set.
After winning the coin toss, MTSU took the lead immediately on a Mignerey ace, which sparked a 3-0 rally to begin the set.
Facing an 8-2 deficit, Boise State waged a comeback, going on a 7-1 run to knot the match at 9-9.
However, Middle Tennessee closed the door with a 6-3 run to the victory, capping off the opening day victory with a Dlouhá kill.
The Blue Raiders close the Bulldog Invitational Saturday at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. CST, rematching with the Broncos before playing the hosts, UNC Asheville (1-0). Live stats for both contests will be available via Sidearm Sports.
Saturday's matchup with the Bulldogs will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Match Notes
--Ellie Watts, Addison Burks, Jaslyn Reed, Marianne Garcia and Kendall Mignerey each made their collegiate debuts on the day. Mignerey previously played four years of beach volleyball at Florida Atlantic.
--Head coach Alexa Keckler is now 2-0 in opening matches at MTSU and her teams have won four of their last five opening matches, dating back to her time with Lehigh.
--MTSU is now 1-1 all-time versus Boise State
Follow the Blue Raiders
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).
Players Mentioned
DS/L
/ Women's Volleyball
L
/ Women's Volleyball
OPP/MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH/DS
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's VolleyballTeam Stats
MTSU
Boise
Kills
66
52
Errors
32
30
Attempts
189
187
Hitting %
.180
.118
Points
86.0
69.0
Assists
61
50
Aces
7
9
Blocks
13
8
Game Leaders
Kills
16
Aces
1
Blocks
7
Kills
13
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Monday, August 10
Tuesday, October 21
Tuesday, October 07
Monday, September 29
