Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Friday, September 11
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
12:30 PM
Middle Tennessee
4-3,0-0CUSA
1
vs
3
Georgia State
3-4,0-1Sun Belt
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia St. | 18 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| Middle Tenn. | 25 | 17 | 23 | 22 | 1 |
Volleyball Splits Opening Matches at Blue Raider Bash
9/11/2026 11:00:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — The Middle Tennessee volleyball team split their opening matches Friday at the Blue Raider Bash in the Alumni Memorial Gym.
MTSU (5-3) lost its opening match of the day to Georgia State (4-4) before winning the nightcap over Northern Colorado (2-4).
Georgia State 3, Middle Tennessee 1
In their home opener, the Blue Raiders fell in four sets to the Panthers.
Sophia Henry led the team offensively, picking up 15 kills in the match. Michaela Dlouhá followed with 11 and Gabrielle Clinkscale had 10 kills.
Caroline Macander posted season highs in assists (36) and digs (10).
Danit Cohen made her season debut in the match, recording an assist and two digs.
Middle Tennessee won the first set 25-18, taking home the victory on a Marianne Garcia ace.
Georgia State bounced back in the second set and third set 25-17 and 25-23, respectively. The Panthers closed out the match win with a 25-22 win in set four.
Middle Tennessee 3, Northern Colorado 1
MTSU bounced back in a big way in the nightcap, defeating the Bears 3-1 in emphatic fashion.
Henry and Clinkscale led the offense with 10 kills each. Garcia led the defensive charge with 18 digs.
As has been a familiarity in 2026, the Blue Raiders won the first set, fighting for a 26-24 victory that was capped by a Dlouhá kill.
Northern Colorado did not go down quietly, however, dominating the second set for a 25-10 win to tie the match at 1-1.
The Blue Raider regained momentum and the lead in the third set, winning 25-20. A Kendall Mignerey and Bears service error completed the set victory.
With a victory in sight, MTSU closed the deal in the fourth set, coming back from a 20-17 deficit to surge to a 25-22 set win for the match victory.
A high-energy block by Henry to raucous celebration completed the first home victory for the Blue Raiders.
Notes
--MTSU falls to 2-2 all-time versus Georgia State and improves to 1-0 versus Northern Colorado
--The Blue Raiders are yet to have lost a first set in 2026, sitting at 8-0 in set one.
--MTSU sits at 7-7 (.500) at home in the Alexa Keckler era
--Ava Smith made her debut and recorded her first kill for the Blue Raiders versus Northern Colorado. The junior recorded 111 kills at her previous school, Presbyterian.
Up Next
Middle Tennessee closes the Blue Raider Bash Saturday at 3 p.m. in the Alumni Memorial Gym versus Murray State. It will be MTSU's final game at home until Oct. 2 versus Delaware.
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 (5-3) lost its opening match of the day to Georgia State (4-4) before winning the nightcap over Northern Colorado (2-4).
Georgia State 3, Middle Tennessee 1
In their home opener, the Blue Raiders fell in four sets to the Panthers.
Sophia Henry led the team offensively, picking up 15 kills in the match. Michaela Dlouhá followed with 11 and Gabrielle Clinkscale had 10 kills.
Caroline Macander posted season highs in assists (36) and digs (10).
Danit Cohen made her season debut in the match, recording an assist and two digs.
Middle Tennessee won the first set 25-18, taking home the victory on a Marianne Garcia ace.
Georgia State bounced back in the second set and third set 25-17 and 25-23, respectively. The Panthers closed out the match win with a 25-22 win in set four.
Middle Tennessee 3, Northern Colorado 1
MTSU bounced back in a big way in the nightcap, defeating the Bears 3-1 in emphatic fashion.
Henry and Clinkscale led the offense with 10 kills each. Garcia led the defensive charge with 18 digs.
As has been a familiarity in 2026, the Blue Raiders won the first set, fighting for a 26-24 victory that was capped by a Dlouhá kill.
Northern Colorado did not go down quietly, however, dominating the second set for a 25-10 win to tie the match at 1-1.
The Blue Raider regained momentum and the lead in the third set, winning 25-20. A Kendall Mignerey and Bears service error completed the set victory.
With a victory in sight, MTSU closed the deal in the fourth set, coming back from a 20-17 deficit to surge to a 25-22 set win for the match victory.
A high-energy block by Henry to raucous celebration completed the first home victory for the Blue Raiders.
Notes
--MTSU falls to 2-2 all-time versus Georgia State and improves to 1-0 versus Northern Colorado
--The Blue Raiders are yet to have lost a first set in 2026, sitting at 8-0 in set one.
--MTSU sits at 7-7 (.500) at home in the Alexa Keckler era
--Ava Smith made her debut and recorded her first kill for the Blue Raiders versus Northern Colorado. The junior recorded 111 kills at her previous school, Presbyterian.
Up Next
Middle Tennessee closes the Blue Raider Bash Saturday at 3 p.m. in the Alumni Memorial Gym versus Murray State. It will be MTSU's final game at home until Oct. 2 versus Delaware.
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
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
L
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
OH/DS
/ Women's Volleyball
OH/OPP
/ Women's VolleyballTeam Stats
GSU
MTSU
Kills
58
49
Errors
19
21
Attempts
156
146
Hitting %
.250
.192
Points
70.0
70.5
Assists
57
45
Aces
7
10
Blocks
5
11.5
Game Leaders
Kills
15
Aces
1
Blocks
3
Kills
11
Aces
3
Blocks
3
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
5
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