MATCH INFO
• Opponent: Lamar
• Date: Saturday, Nov. 7
• First Serve: 11 a.m.
• Location: Beaumont, Texas
• Venue: McDonald Gym
 
SERIES RECORD
• McNeese holds a 28-13 overall record against Lamar since 2002
• McNeese has won seven of the last 10 matches against the Cardinals
• The last win for McNeese in Beaumont was a 3-0 win in 2023
 
LAKE CHARLES—McNeese volleyball (10-14, 6-7, SLC) will end its Texas road trip with an 11 a.m. match at Lamar (9-17, 6-7 SLC) on Saturday in a Battle of the Border match.
 
This will be the second match between the two teams this season with McNeese picking up a straight set win over the Cardinals on Oct. 3 in Lake Charles.
 
McNeese is coming off a 3-2 road loss at Stephen F. Austin on Thursday that saw Gabbie Maldonado end the match with a career high 23 kills.
 
Lamar enters the match following a 3-1 win over Nicholls on Thursday
 
 
McNEESE NOTES
• Making its second Texas swing of the season this week with matches at Stephen F. Austin on Thursday and Lamar on Saturday.
• The Cowgirls are coming off a five-set loss at Stephen F. Austin on Thursday.
• This will be the second match against Lamar this season.  McNeese defeated the Cardinals in straight sets on Oct. 3 in Lake Charles.
• McNeese enters the match tied for 6th place in the SLC standings along with Lamar.
 • 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 12th in the nation in digs per set (16.68).  The Cowgirls also rank fourth in the SLC with 11.63 assists per set, 12.44 kills per set, and total digs (1,451).
• Freshman libero Sophia Tocmo ranks 7th in the nation with 5.03 digs per set and 18th in total digs with 483 digs heading into Saturday'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 24 matches including a season high 27at SFA on Thursday, Nov. 5).  Grose leads the team with 432 assists and 210 aces.
• Grose recorded her fifth double double at SFA (Nov. 5) with 27 assists and 19 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 19 matches including 18 of the last 19 matches. She is second on the team with 399 assists.
• Gabbie Maldonado has recorded double figure kills in the last 12 matches and leads the team with 265 for an average of 3.05 per set.
• Ava Henry leads the team with 61 blocks and is third on the team with 224 kills.
• Kayla Wilson has recorded double figure kills in 12 of the last 17 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. 
 
ABOUT THE OPPONENT
LAMAR
• Enters the match tied sixth place with the Cowgirls
• Coming off a 3-1 home win over Nicholls on Thursday
 
UPCOMING COWGIRL MATCHES
Nov. 7 *at Lamar (11 a.m.)
Nov. 12 *Nicholls (6 p.m.)
Nov. 14 *at Nicholls (1 p.m.)
Nov. 20-22 (Corpus Christi, Texas)
 
*- Southland Conference Match