Belmont Volleyball Enters Third Week of Conference Play Undefeated

Belmont vs. Southern Illinois
Thursday, Oct. 8 | 6 p.m. CT
Curb Event Center | Nashville, Tenn.

Belmont at Bradley
Saturday, Oct. 10 | 2 p.m. CT
Renaissance Coliseum | Peoria, Ill.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Belmont University volleyball team (7-8, 4-0 MVC) continues Missouri Valley Conference play with a split weekend, hosting Southern Illinois on Thursday, Oct. 8, at 6 p.m. CT before traveling to Bradley for a 2 p.m. CT match Saturday, Oct. 10.

The Bruins enter the weekend riding a 12-set winning streak in MVC play after opening conference action with four consecutive victories, including back-to-back home sweeps of Indiana State and Evansville last weekend. Belmont opened MVC play with road wins at Valparaiso and UIC, including the program's first-ever victory over the Flames.

Both matches will be streamed live on ESPN+, while live statistics will be available at GoBelmontBruins.com.

What's Bruin 

• Belmont enters the weekend 7-8 overall and 4-0 in Missouri Valley Conference play, winning 12 consecutive sets against MVC opponents.  
• Junior middle blocker Lucy Kay led Belmont in both victories last weekend, combining for 22 kills while hitting .500, with three digs and five blocks. Kay enters the weekend fifth in the MVC with a .348 hitting percentage.  
• Senior Brenna Kauffeld was named MVC Player of the Week, while sophomore transfer Mya Bolton earned MVC Libero of the Week honors on Sept. 28.  
• Kauffeld leads the Bruins with 169 kills this season while ranking third on the team in aces (12) and blocks (29) and tied for fifth in digs (70).  
• Kauffeld was also named Belmont's September Student-Athlete of the Month.  
• Bolton leads Belmont with 235 digs and ranks second on the team in aces (11) and third in assists (51). She enters the weekend fourth in the MVC in digs.  
• Jordan Czajkowski leads the Bruins with 336 assists, followed by Alivia Keegan with 293. Czajkowski surpassed 1,000 career assists in Belmont's victory over Evansville, while Keegan reached the milestone in the Bruins' win at UIC.   
• Erin McMullen leads Belmont and the MVC with a .378 hitting percentage, adding 132 kills and 37 blocks, both second on the team.  
• Kauffeld and McMullen were named to the Weber State Wildcat Invitational All-Tournament Team earlier this season.  
• Alexia Smollen leads Belmont with 41 blocks, ranking fifth in the MVC. 
• Junior DS/libero Lauren Evans leads Belmont with 18 service aces and ranks second on the team with 141 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 nine of her first 10 matches, including a career-high 11 kills in Belmont's sweep of Evansville.  
• Belmont ranks first in the MVC in hitting percentage (.242) 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. 
• Belmont finished the 2025 season 17-11 overall and 8-8 in MVC play, finishing sixth in the conference standings.  
• Belmont is led by second-year head coach Fritz Rosenberg, assistant coach Delaney Gallagher and newly hired assistant coach Sean Cahill. 

About the Salukis 

• Southern Illinois enters Thursday's match 9-7 overall and 3-1 in MVC play, following a five-set loss to UIC. 
• Senior Jillian Shaneyfelt has been named MVC Libero of the Week twice this season and leads the Salukis with 288 digs, ranking second in the MVC. She also ranks third on the team in aces (18) and assists (61), while averaging 4.50 digs per set, third in the conference. 
• Southern Illinois is led by head coach Brittany Harry, who is in her second season with the Salukis. 
• The Salukis finished the 2025 season 13-17 overall and 7-9 in MVC play. 
• Belmont is 4-4 all-time against Southern Illinois and enters Thursday on a three-match winning streak in the series. The Bruins' most recent meeting was a five-set victory at Southern Illinois in November 2025. 

About the Braves 

• Bradley enters Saturday's match 8-9 overall and 3-2 in MVC play, following a five-set win over Drake and a loss to Illinois State. 
• Junior setter Maria Drapp leads the MVC with 634 assists and averages 9.75 assists per set, second in the conference. 
• Sophomore middle blocker Adeline Goedheer leads the MVC with 74 blocks and ranks second with 1.25 blocks per set. 
• Sophomore outside hitter Gracie Furlong leads the MVC with 250 kills and averages 3.68 kills per set, fourth in the conference. 
• Bradley is led by head coach Alicia Williams, who is entering her fifth season. 
• The Braves finished the 2025 season 13-15 overall and 7-9 in conference play. 
• Belmont is 2-5 all-time against Bradley and enters Saturday on a three-match losing streak in the series. The Braves earned a five-set victory over the Bruins in Nashville 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.