MATCH INFO
• Opponent: Stephen F. Austin
• Date: Thursday, Nov. 5
• First Serve: 6 p.m.
• Location: Nacogdoches, Texas
• Venue: Debbie Humphreys Court at Shelton Gym
 
SERIES RECORD
• SFA Hold a 50-10 overall record against McNeese dating back to 1988
• SFA Has won the last 19 matches against the Cowgirls
• The last McNeese win over SFA was also the last McNeese win in Nacogdoches in 2010, a 3-1 win
 
 
LAKE CHARLES—McNeese volleyball (10-13, 6-6, SLC) will hit the road for matches at Stephen F. Austin (16-9, 10-2 SLC) on Thursday (6 p.m.) and Lamar (8-17, 5-7 SLC) on Saturday (11 a.m.).
 
McNeese is coming off a 2-0 week with wins over Southeastern and LSU New Orleans and will look to pick up its first win over SFA since 2010 when the Cowgirls defeated the Ladyjacks 3-1 in Nacogdoches in 2010.
 
SFA enters the match tied for second place in the SLC with UTRGV and UIW.  The Ladyjacks defeated the Cowgirls 3-1 in Lake Charles on Oct. 1 in the first meeting of the season between the two teams.
 
 
McNEESE NOTES
• Making its second Texas swing of the season this week with matches at Stephen F. Austin on Thursday and Lamar on Saturday.
• This will be the second matches against both Stephen F. Austin and Lamar this season.  SFA defeated McNeese in four sets on Oct. 1 in Lake Charles. McNeese defeated Lamar in straight set on Oct. 3 in Lake Charles.
• McNeese enters the match tied for 5th place in the SLC standings along with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.  The Islanders hold the tie-breaker over McNeese with its 3-1 win in the only meeting of the season between the two teams on Sept. 26.
• McNeese 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 ranks second the SLC and 17th in the nation in digs per set (16.40).  The Cowgirls also rank third in the SLC with 11.65 assists per set, 4th in the SLC with 12.45 kills per set, and fifth in digs.
• Freshman libero Sophia Tocmo ranks 8th in the nation with 4.98 digs per set and 28th in total digs with 408 digs heading into Thurday's match.
• Against ETAM on Oct. 15, Tocmo became the first McNeese freshman libero to reach 300 digs in the rally era when she ended the match with 31 digs.
• Tocmo has recorded double figure digs in the last 22 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 23 matches including a season high 24 twice this season.  Grose leads the team with 405assists and 20 aces.
• Grose recorded her fourth double double at UIW with 19 assists and 13 digs.
• 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 18 matches including 17 of the last 18 matches. She is second on the team with 378 assists.
• Gabbie Maldonado has recorded double figure kills in the last 11 matches and leads the team with 242 for an average of 2.95 per set.
• Ava Henry leads the team with 592 blocks and is third on the team with 215 kills.
• Kayla Wilson has recorded double figure kills in 11 of the last 16 matches.  Wilson recorded a career high five blocks at LSU New Orleans on Oct. 10.
• 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
STEPHEN F. AUSTIN
• Enters the match tied for second place in the with UTRGV and UIW
• Are on a five-match winning streak
• Coming off a straight set road win at Lamar last Saturday
 
UPCOMING COWGIRL MATCHES
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