LAKE CHARLES—McNeese volleyball (5-11, 1-4, SLC) will look to bounce back from its 3-1 road loss at Southeastern on Thursday when the Cowgirls travel to New Orleans on Saturday to face LSU New Orleans (2-16, 0-5 SLC) in an 11 a.m. match.  The match will stream on ESPN+.
 
 
MATCH INFO
• Opponent: LSU New Orleans
• Date: Saturday, Oct. 10
• First Serve: 11 a.m.
• Location: New Orleans
• Venue: Lakefront Arena
 
SERIES RECORD
• McNeese leads the series 28-3
• McNeese has won the last 12 matches against the Privateers dating back to 2002.
• In the last 12 matches (since the 2020-21 season), McNeese holds a 36-5 set record against the Privateers
• The last McNeese loss against LSU New Orleans was a 3-0 loss in New Orleans on Oct. 15, 2019.
 
Complete McNeese Schedule
 
TUNE IN
ESPN+
 
McNEESE NOTES
• McNeese will end its weekend with a Saturday road match at LSU New Orleans.
• It's the Cowgirls third SLC road match of the season.  Looking for its first SLC road win of the season after falling to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Southeastern on the road in its first two SLC road matches.
• It's the first match of the season between the two teams.  The Cowgirls will host LSU New Orleans in a 10 a.m. match on Oct. 31.
• Coming off a four-set road loss  (22-25, 27-29, 25-22, 14-25) at Southeastern on Thursday.
• Started the SLC schedule against the top five SLC preseason picks as voted by the coaches.  UTRGV (#2), Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (#3), SFA (#1), Lamar (#5), and Southeastern (#4).
• McNeese was picked to finish 9th in the SLC preseason poll.
 
• As a team, McNeese leads the SLC and ranks 12th in the nation in digs per set (16.47).  The Cowgirls also rank second in the SLC with 11.72 assists per set and 12.64 kills per set.
• Freshman Sophia Tocmo ranks 5th in the nation with 5.26 digs per set and 33rd in total digs with 279 digs heading into Saturday's match.
• Tocmo has recorded double figure digs in the last 15 matches and recorded her first career double double with a career high 33 digs and 13 assists against Oral Roberts on Sept. 19.
• Senior setter Megan Grose has dished out double figure assists in all 16 matches including a season high 24 against Gramling on Sept. 17.  Grose leads the team with 273 assists.
• Junior setter Corynne Hausler recorded her third double double of the season (23 ast., 10 digs) against ORU on Sept. 19.  She has dished out at least 10 assists in 12 matches including 10 of the last 11 matches. She is second on the team with 240 assists.
• Kayla Wilson leads the team with 152 kills. Wilson has recorded double figure kills in eight of the last 10 matches.
• Sophomore Ava Henry continues to lead McNeese with 38 blocks and is third on the team with 148 kills.
• McNeese is one of two D1 volleyball programs whose entire staff is in their first year of collegiate coaching.  Indiana State University's staff is the other school.
• The Cowgirls will play 11 home matches this season including two matches in its own Cowgirl Classic.  Of the 11 home matches, eight are conference matches.
• McNeese returns nine players (Corynne Hausler, Carli Banks, Maleah Mutterback, Sophie Twigg, Bailey Foolkes, Mary-Alice Dohmann, Neal Grace Berry, Kayla Wilson, Ava Henry) from last season and one from its 2024 team (Megan Grose).
• The 2026 team also consists of three transfers (Gabbie Maldonado, Harmony Soles, Harmony Jackson) and four freshmen (Sophia Tocmo, Danyele Wallace, Gaby Santiago, Aaniyah Kitchen) 
• Sophomores Ava Henry and Bailey Foolkes are second generation Cowgirls. Ava's mother (Eunice) played basketball and her father (Adam), who serves as the Pittsburgh Steelers wide receivers coach, played football at McNeese.  Foolkes' mother (Shannon) played volleyball while her father (Trevor) ran cross country for McNeese.  Adam and Shannon are both McNeese Hall of Famers.
• First year head coach Tayler Gray made her collegiate debut as a D1 head coach against Miami (OH) on Aug. 28 at the Bearkat Invitational. Gray picked up her first career win, a straight set win at Grambling on Sept. 11. 
• When the Cowgirls and Sam Houston met on Aug. 29 at the Bearkat Invitational, it was a mother-daughter D1 head coaches matchup.  Tayler's mother Brenda is the Bearkats' head coach.  They are the only mother-daughter D1 head coaches this season and possibly the first in NCAA history.
 
ABOUT THE OPPONENT
LSU NEW ORLEANS
• Picked to finish 10th in the preseason poll
• Enter the match with a 2-16 overall record and are 0-5 in the SLC.
• It's two wins of the season came against Alcorn State and Cal State Fullerton
• Looking to snap a seven-match losing streak
• Are 2-5 at home this season
• Coming off a 3-1 home loss against Nicholls on Thursday
 
UPCOMING COWGIRL MATCHES
Oct. 10 at LSU New Orleans* (11 a.m.)
Oct. 15 East Texas A&M* (6 p.m.)
Oct. 17 Northwestern State* (1 p.m.)
Oct. 22 at Incarnate Word* (6 p.m.)
Oct. 24 at Houston Christian* (11 a.m.)
Oct. 29 Southeastern* (6 p.m.)
Oct. 31 LSU New Orleans* (10 a.m.)
Nov. 5 at Stephen F. Austin (6 p.m.)
Nov. 7 at Lamar (11 a.m.)
Nov. 12 Nicholls (6 p.m.)
Nov. 14 at Nicholls (1 p.m.)
 
*- Southland Conference Match