Belmont Volleyball Opens Home MVC Slate with Indiana State, Evansville

Belmont vs. Indiana State
Friday, Oct. 2 | 6 p.m. CT

Belmont vs. Evansville
Saturday, Oct. 3 | 2 p.m. CT
Curb Event Center | Nashville, Tenn.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Belmont University volleyball team (5-8, 2-0 MVC) returns home this weekend to open its home Missouri Valley Conference slate, hosting Indiana State on Friday, Oct. 2, at 6 p.m. CT before welcoming Evansville on Saturday, Oct. 3, at 2 p.m. CT at the Curb Event Center.

The Bruins opened MVC play with a 2-0 road weekend, earning victories at Valparaiso and UIC. Belmont's win over UIC marked the first victory over the Flames in program history.

Friday's match against Indiana State will be streamed live on ESPN+, while live statistics for both matches will be available at GoBelmontBruins.com.

What's Bruin

• Belmont enters the weekend 5-8 overall and 2-0 in Missouri Valley Conference play after opening conference action with road victories over Valparaiso and UIC, including the first win over UIC in program history.  
• Following the two victories, senior Brenna Kauffeld was named MVC Player of the Week, while sophomore transfer Mya Bolton earned MVC Libero of the Week honors.  
• Kauffeld totaled 26 kills, three aces, five blocks and 10 digs while hitting .365 across the two matches. She leads the Bruins with 155 kills this season while ranking third in aces (eight) and blocks (27) and tied for fifth in digs (59).  
• Kauffeld was also named Belmont's September Student-Athlete of the Month.  
• Bolton recorded a team-high 46 digs, while adding two aces and 10 assists across the two victories. She leads Belmont with 214 digs and ranks second in aces (10) and third in assists (46). Bolton enters the weekend fifth in the MVC in digs.  
• Jordan Czajkowski leads the Bruins with 299 assists, followed by Alivia Keegan with 268.  
• Keegan surpassed 1,000 career assists in Belmont's victory over UIC.  
• Connie Kofoed ranks second on the team with 130 kills and recorded a career-high 18 kills in Belmont's four-set victory over Marshall.  
• Alexia Smollen leads Belmont with 41 blocks.  
• Erin McMullen leads the Bruins with a .373 hitting percentage, ranking third in the MVC, while adding 117 kills and 33 blocks.  
• Kauffeld and McMullen were named to the Weber State Wildcat Invitational All-Tournament Team.  
• Junior DS/libero Lauren Evans leads Belmont with 18 service aces and ranks second on the team with 134 digs. The Butler transfer is one of three newcomers on Belmont's 2026 roster.  
• Freshman outside hitter Sydnee Nelson has recorded at least one kill in seven of her first eight matches, including a career-high 10 kills and 10 digs against Valparaiso for her first career double-double.  
• Belmont ranks second in the MVC in hitting percentage (.236) and third in kills (697).  
• Belmont was picked fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Poll, tying with UIC.  
• The Bruins return MVC All-Freshman Team selections Erin McMullen and Jordan Czajkowski, both of whom earned MVC Freshman of the Week honors during the 2025 season.  
• Belmont is led by second-year head coach Fritz Rosenberg, assistant coach Delaney Gallagher and newly hired assistant coach Sean Cahill. 
• Belmont finished the 2025 season 17-11 overall and 8-8 in MVC play, finishing sixth in the conference standings. The Bruins fell to Drake in five sets in the first round of the MVC Tournament.  

About the Sycamores 

• Indiana State enters the weekend 6-7 overall and 0-2 in MVC play following conference losses to Bradley and Southern Illinois.  
• Junior outside hitter Curry Kendall was named the Hannig Construction Indiana State Student-Athlete of the Week on Sept. 21. She leads the Sycamores with 146 kills and ranks third with 24 blocks.  
• Indiana State is led by head coach Ted Kopacz, who is in his first season as the 11th head coach in program history.  
• The Sycamores finished the 2025 season 9-19 overall and 3-13 in conference play. 
• Belmont is 6-3 all-time against Indiana State, including a 3-0 victory in the most recent meeting in October 2025. 

About the Aces  

• Evansville enters the weekend 3-11 overall and 0-2 in MVC play following conference losses to Southern Illinois and Bradley.  
• Senior middle blocker Savannah Gogel was named MVC Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 22 after totaling 23 blocks, including a season-high seven blocks in a victory over Southern Indiana. She has also added 53 kills.  
• Evansville is led by head coach Zach Weinberg, who enters his second season at the helm.  
• The Aces finished the 2025 season 6-22 overall and 2-14 in conference play.  
• Belmont is 8-4 all-time against Evansville and enters the weekend on a four-match winning streak in the series. The Bruins won the most recent meeting, 3-0, in October 2025. 

Follow along 

Follow Belmont volleyball on social media — @BelmontVB on Twitter and @belmontvball on Instagram — for complete coverage of the Bruins. Stay up to date with all Belmont athletic programs via the official Belmont Bruins app, available in the Apple App Store and on Google Play.