Belmont Volleyball Opens MVC Play on the Road

Belmont at Valparaiso 
Friday, Sept. 25 | 6 p.m. CT 
Athletics-Recreation Center | Valparaiso, Ind.  

Belmont at UIC 
Saturday, Sept. 26 | 2 p.m. CT 
Credit Union 1 Arena | Chicago, Ill. 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Belmont University volleyball team (3-8) opens Missouri Valley Conference play on the road this weekend, traveling to Valparaiso Friday before facing UIC Saturday. 

The Bruins begin conference action against Valparaiso at 6 p.m. CT Friday at the Athletics-Recreation Center before traveling to Chicago for a 2 p.m. CT matchup with UIC on Saturday at Credit Union 1 Arena. 

Belmont enters the weekend looking for its first victory at UIC after dropping each of its previous six meetings with the Flames. 

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

What's Bruin 

• Belmont enters the weekend 3-8 following four-set losses to Nashville rivals Vanderbilt and Lipscomb.  
• Brenna Kauffeld was named Belmont's September Student-Athlete of the Month.  
• Kauffeld leads the Bruins with 129 kills, followed by Connie Kofoed with 119 and Emily Warmenhoven with 105.  
• Kofoed 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 .376 hitting percentage, while adding 103 kills and 27 blocks.  
• Kauffeld and McMullen were named to the Weber State Wildcat Invitational All-Tournament Team.  
• Junior DS/libero Lauren Evans leads the Bruins with 17 service aces. The Butler transfer is one of three newcomers on Belmont's 2026 roster.  
• Sophomore DS/libero Mya Bolton, a transfer from Michigan State, leads Belmont with 168 digs.  
• Freshman outside hitter Sydnee Nelson has recorded at least one kill in five of her first six matches, including a career-high five kills against Duke.  
• The Bruins enter the 2026 season with a challenging schedule that includes eight opponents ranked among the Top 100.  
• 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 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.  
• Belmont is led by second-year head coach Fritz Rosenberg, assistant coach Delaney Gallagher and newly hired assistant coach Sean Cahill. 

About the Beacons 

• Valparaiso enters the weekend 8-4 following a three-match sweep to claim the WNY Invitational title.  
• Junior right side Ava Helming was named MVC Player of the Week on Sept. 14 and was selected to the Preseason All-MVC Team. She has recorded 168 kills and 25 blocks.  
• Valparaiso finished the 2025 season 21-9 overall and 12-4 in MVC play, finishing second in the conference standings.  
• Nick Polite serves as Valparaiso's interim head coach after joining the program as an assistant coach in February 2019.  
• Belmont is 2-5 all-time against Valparaiso, splitting two meetings in 2025. The Bruins won the most recent matchup, a 3-0 victory at home in November 2025. 

About the Flames 

• UIC enters the weekend 4-8 following a loss to DePaul.  
• Senior outside hitter Tamara Kisic was named to the UIC-DePaul Invitational All-Tournament Team. She ranks second on the Flames with 87 kills and second with 112 digs.  
• UIC finished the 2025 season 17-10 overall and 11-5 in MVC play, finishing fourth in the conference standings.  
• The Flames are led by Justin Ingram, who enters his 11th season at UIC.  
• Belmont is 0-6 all-time against UIC, with the most recent meeting ending in a five-set loss for the Bruins at UIC. 

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.