Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Friday, September 4
Nashville, Tenn.
2:00 PM
Middle Tennessee
vs
Samford
Volleyball Heads North to Nashville for Belmont Invitational
9/3/2026 2:05:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Middle Tennessee volleyball team continues their season Friday to Sunday at the Belmont Invitational at the Curb Event Center in Nashville, Tennessee.
MTSU (2-1) will start the weekend against Samford (0-2) Friday before a matchup with South Alabama (1-2) Saturday. The Blue Raiders close the weekend Sunday against hosts, Belmont (1-2).
Each match on the weekend will have a 2 p.m. first serve.
Quick Hits
--Senior setter Veronica Sierzant recorded 107 assists at the Bulldog Invitational Aug. 28-29, surpassing 1,000 career assists. Between Syracuse and Middle Tennessee, Sierzant has 1,034 assists.
--Graduate setter Caroline Macander recorded nine assists in the opening weekend of the season, which helped her reach the 1,000 assist milestone, becoming the ninth player in program history to achieve the feat. Macander's 1,000 assists also rank ninth in program history.
--Senior middle blocker Michaela Dlouhá put together an impressive opening weekend in Asheville, posting 31 kills and 19 blocks against Boise State and UNC Asheville. Both marks lead the Blue Raiders, while Dlouhá also leads Conference USA in total blocks.
--In her debut collegiate weekend, freshman libero Marianne Garcia picked up CUSA Freshman of the Week honors after recording a team-leading 43 digs. The Phoenix, Ariz. native played all 12 sets on the weekend and looks to be an impact player for the Blue Raiders going forward.
--The Blue Raiders head north to Nashville for a regular season match for the first time since Jan. 22, 2020, when MTSU faced off against Lipscomb
--Heading into this weekend, Middle Tennessee leads CUSA in blocks with 35 total. The next closest, Sam Houston, has 29.
Series History
Middle Tennessee has a winning record against two out of three of its opponents this weekend.
The odd-team-out, Samford, has never played MTSU, with Friday being the two programs' first matchup against one another.
The Blue Raiders have dominated the South Alabama series, entering the weekend up 19-1 in the all-time series. The last time the teams faced off was Nov. 2, 2012, when Middle Tennessee defeated the Jaguars 3-1 in Mobile, Ala.
In six matchups with the hosting Bruins, MTSU sits at 4-2. The Blue Raiders defeated Belmont in a 3-2 thriller in Murfreesboro on Sept. 9, 2022 the last time both teams played each other.
Scouting the Bruins, Jaguars and Bulldogs
Belmont enters the weekend off two losses in Ogden, Utah. The Bruins finished 17-11 last season in Fritz Rosenberg's first year at the helm.
The Jaguars hosted in Mobile, Ala. to open their season, losing two of three games. Notably, South Alabama lost to SEC opponent Mississippi State. Jesse Ortiz is in his sixth season in charge of the Jaguars.
Two losses to begin the season follow the Bulldogs into Nashville. In his 11th season at Samford, Keylor Chan is coming off a 13-15 season in Birmingham, Ala.
Follow the Blue Raiders
Live stats for every match will be available on StatBroadcast, with Sunday's Belmont game being streamed on ESPN+.
Stay up to date with Blue Raider Volleyball on Instagram (@mt_volleyball), X (@MT_Volleyball), and Facebook (Middle Tennessee Volleyball).
MTSU (2-1) will start the weekend against Samford (0-2) Friday before a matchup with South Alabama (1-2) Saturday. The Blue Raiders close the weekend Sunday against hosts, Belmont (1-2).
Each match on the weekend will have a 2 p.m. first serve.
Quick Hits
--Senior setter Veronica Sierzant recorded 107 assists at the Bulldog Invitational Aug. 28-29, surpassing 1,000 career assists. Between Syracuse and Middle Tennessee, Sierzant has 1,034 assists.
--Graduate setter Caroline Macander recorded nine assists in the opening weekend of the season, which helped her reach the 1,000 assist milestone, becoming the ninth player in program history to achieve the feat. Macander's 1,000 assists also rank ninth in program history.
--Senior middle blocker Michaela Dlouhá put together an impressive opening weekend in Asheville, posting 31 kills and 19 blocks against Boise State and UNC Asheville. Both marks lead the Blue Raiders, while Dlouhá also leads Conference USA in total blocks.
--In her debut collegiate weekend, freshman libero Marianne Garcia picked up CUSA Freshman of the Week honors after recording a team-leading 43 digs. The Phoenix, Ariz. native played all 12 sets on the weekend and looks to be an impact player for the Blue Raiders going forward.
--The Blue Raiders head north to Nashville for a regular season match for the first time since Jan. 22, 2020, when MTSU faced off against Lipscomb
--Heading into this weekend, Middle Tennessee leads CUSA in blocks with 35 total. The next closest, Sam Houston, has 29.
Series History
Middle Tennessee has a winning record against two out of three of its opponents this weekend.
The odd-team-out, Samford, has never played MTSU, with Friday being the two programs' first matchup against one another.
The Blue Raiders have dominated the South Alabama series, entering the weekend up 19-1 in the all-time series. The last time the teams faced off was Nov. 2, 2012, when Middle Tennessee defeated the Jaguars 3-1 in Mobile, Ala.
In six matchups with the hosting Bruins, MTSU sits at 4-2. The Blue Raiders defeated Belmont in a 3-2 thriller in Murfreesboro on Sept. 9, 2022 the last time both teams played each other.
Scouting the Bruins, Jaguars and Bulldogs
Belmont enters the weekend off two losses in Ogden, Utah. The Bruins finished 17-11 last season in Fritz Rosenberg's first year at the helm.
The Jaguars hosted in Mobile, Ala. to open their season, losing two of three games. Notably, South Alabama lost to SEC opponent Mississippi State. Jesse Ortiz is in his sixth season in charge of the Jaguars.
Two losses to begin the season follow the Bulldogs into Nashville. In his 11th season at Samford, Keylor Chan is coming off a 13-15 season in Birmingham, Ala.
Follow the Blue Raiders
Live stats for every match will be available on StatBroadcast, with Sunday's Belmont game being streamed on ESPN+.
Stay up to date with Blue Raider Volleyball on Instagram (@mt_volleyball), X (@MT_Volleyball), and Facebook (Middle Tennessee Volleyball).
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's VolleyballMonday, August 10
Tuesday, October 21
Tuesday, October 07
Monday, September 29
