MATCH INFO
• Opponent: Stephen F. Austin
• Date: Thursday, Oct. 1
• First Serve: 6 p.m.
• Location: Lake Charles
• Venue: Townsley Law Arena
 
SERIES RECORD
• SFA leads the series 29-6 dating back to 2002.
• SFA has won the last 18 meetings
• The last time these two teams met, SFA won a five-set thriller in Nacogdoches, Texas on Nov. 1, 2025.
• The last time McNeese defeated SFA was a 3-1 win on Nov. 11, 2010 in Nacogdoches.
• The last home win over SFA was a 3-1 win on Nov. 12, 2008 
 
 
Complete McNeese Schedule
 
TUNE IN
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LAKE CHARLES—McNeese volleyball (4-9, 0-2 SLC) returns home this week for two Southland Conference matches beginning with a 6 p.m. match against preseason favorite Stephen F. Austin (8-7, 2-0 SLC) on Thursday.  The Cowgirls will remain home to host Lamar at 12 p.m. Saturday.  Both matches will stream on ESPN+.
 
McNeese's first five conference matches are against teams picked to finish in the top five in the SLC preseason poll.  SFA is the preseason favorite. 
 
The Cowgirls have already played UTRGV (preseason No. 2) and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (preseason No. 3).  Lamar was picked to finish fifth and Southeastern fourth.  McNeese will travel to Southeastern next Thursday.
 
 
McNEESE NOTES
• Looking to snap two match losing streak
• Are coming off a four-set loss at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi last Saturday in the Cowgirls first conference road match of the season.
• Will be the third straight match against a team picked to finish in the Top 3 in the preseason poll.
 
• The first five conference matches for McNeese will be 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 lead the SLC and ranks 8th in the nation in digs per set (16.62).
• Gabbie Maldonado is coming off a career high 17 kills in the loss at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi last Saturday.
• Freshman Sophia Tocmo ranks 3rd in the nation with 5.40 digs per set and 46th in total digs with 227 heading into Thursday's match.
• Tocmo has recorded double figure digs in the last 12 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 13 matches including a season high 24 against Gramling on Sept. 17.  Grose leads the team with 207 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 seven of the last eight matches.  She is second on the team with 186 assists.
• Kayla Wilson leads the team with 118 kills. Wilson has recorded double figure kills in six of the last seven matches.
• Sophomore Ava Henry continues to lead McNeese with 31 blocks and is second on the team with 113 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
• Picked to win the league in the preseason poll
• Enter the match one of four teams with an undefeated conference record at 2-0
• Lead the SLC in blocks in conference matches with 2.47 per set.
• Second in the SLC with a .287 hitting percent and 118 aces in conference matches.
 
UPCOMING COWGIRL MATCHES
Oct. 1 Stephen F. Austin* (6 p.m.)
Oct. 3 Lamar* (12 p.m.)
Oct. 8 at Southeastern* (6:30 p.m.)
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.)
 
*- Southland Conference Match