Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Friday, September 25
Lynchburg, Va.
5:00 PM
Middle Tennessee
at
Liberty
Volleyball Opens Conference USA Play at Liberty
9/24/2026 11:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
LYNCHBURG, Va. — The Middle Tennessee volleyball team begins Conference USA play Friday versus Liberty at the Liberty Arena.
MTSU (9-3, 0-0 CUSA) enters the weekend with positive momentum, having won an Alexa Keckler-era best five consecutive matches. The Flames (8-4, 0-0) have a winning streak of their own, entering the weekend with four-straight victories.
Quick Hits
--Sophia Henry has been on fire for the Blue Raiders in 2026. The Mercer transfer leads the team in kills (157), kills-per-set (3.41)and points (178.5). The Atlanta native took home Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week for her performances from Sept. 18-19.
--Marianne Garcia is second in Conference USA in digs with 207. The mark is 23rd in the country as the freshman has continued to impress.
--Michaela Dlouhá leads MTSU, Conference USA and is fifth in the country with 65 blocks. Dlouhá led the Blue Raiders in blocks in 2025 with 97.
--Since stepping into the starting setter role, fifth-year Caroline Macander has been solid for MTSU. Macander recorded her first double-double of the season versus Brown Sept. 19 with 44 assists and 19 digs.
--MTSU posted its best hitting percentage of the season versus Fairfield Sept. 19 when the team hit .386. Jaslyn Reed hit .667 in the match.
.
--Gabrielle Clinkscale has helped pace the MTSU offense, sitting at second on the team in kills with 146. Clinkscale and Sophia Henry have been the main scoring threats for the Blue Raiders and have powered the five-match win streak MTSU is currently on.
Series History
Middle Tennessee leads the all-time series versus Liberty, which dates back to Sept. 19, 2015, a match the Blue Raiders won 3-0 in Blacksburg, Va. In the CUSA era, the Flames and MTSU are locked at 2-2, splitting each of the last two years' matchups.
Scouting the Flames
Now in the second season of the Jeremy White era, Liberty has not done much losing under its leader. White holds a 28-14 record and finished 2025 with an impressive 20 wins.
While the Flames were not in the upper echelon of a strong CUSA in White's first year, they did see mass improvements and seven more wins from 2024 to 2025.
The hard-hitting Paige Overcash is sure to make an impact on the weekend, taking her team-leading 123 kills into the matchup.
Follow the Blue Raiders
Both matches on the weekend will be streamed on ESPN+ with live stats available on StatBroadcast.
Stay up to date with Blue Raider Volleyball on Instagram (@mt_volleyball), X (@MT_Volleyball), and Facebook (Middle Tennessee Volleyball).
MTSU (9-3, 0-0 CUSA) enters the weekend with positive momentum, having won an Alexa Keckler-era best five consecutive matches. The Flames (8-4, 0-0) have a winning streak of their own, entering the weekend with four-straight victories.
Quick Hits
--Sophia Henry has been on fire for the Blue Raiders in 2026. The Mercer transfer leads the team in kills (157), kills-per-set (3.41)and points (178.5). The Atlanta native took home Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week for her performances from Sept. 18-19.
--Marianne Garcia is second in Conference USA in digs with 207. The mark is 23rd in the country as the freshman has continued to impress.
--Michaela Dlouhá leads MTSU, Conference USA and is fifth in the country with 65 blocks. Dlouhá led the Blue Raiders in blocks in 2025 with 97.
--Since stepping into the starting setter role, fifth-year Caroline Macander has been solid for MTSU. Macander recorded her first double-double of the season versus Brown Sept. 19 with 44 assists and 19 digs.
--MTSU posted its best hitting percentage of the season versus Fairfield Sept. 19 when the team hit .386. Jaslyn Reed hit .667 in the match.
.
--Gabrielle Clinkscale has helped pace the MTSU offense, sitting at second on the team in kills with 146. Clinkscale and Sophia Henry have been the main scoring threats for the Blue Raiders and have powered the five-match win streak MTSU is currently on.
Series History
Middle Tennessee leads the all-time series versus Liberty, which dates back to Sept. 19, 2015, a match the Blue Raiders won 3-0 in Blacksburg, Va. In the CUSA era, the Flames and MTSU are locked at 2-2, splitting each of the last two years' matchups.
Scouting the Flames
Now in the second season of the Jeremy White era, Liberty has not done much losing under its leader. White holds a 28-14 record and finished 2025 with an impressive 20 wins.
While the Flames were not in the upper echelon of a strong CUSA in White's first year, they did see mass improvements and seven more wins from 2024 to 2025.
The hard-hitting Paige Overcash is sure to make an impact on the weekend, taking her team-leading 123 kills into the matchup.
Follow the Blue Raiders
Both matches on the weekend will be streamed on ESPN+ with live stats available on StatBroadcast.
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
L
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's VolleyballFriday, September 11
Monday, August 10
Tuesday, October 21
Tuesday, October 07
