Belmont Volleyball Set for Home Opening Weekend at Belmont Invitational

Belmont vs. South Alabama
Friday, Sept. 4 | 6 p.m.

Belmont vs. Samford
Saturday, Sept. 5 | 6 p.m.

Will's Match – Belmont vs. Middle Tennessee
Sunday, Sept. 6 | 2 p.m. CT

Curb Event Center | Nashville, Tenn.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Belmont University volleyball team (1-2) returns home for its 2026 home opener this weekend, hosting the Belmont Invitational at the Curb Event Center. The Bruins welcome South Alabama, Samford and Middle Tennessee to Nashville for three matches beginning Friday, Sept. 4.

Belmont opens the weekend against South Alabama at 6 p.m. Friday evening before hosting Samford at 6 p.m. Saturday. The Bruins close the weekend against Middle Tennessee at 2 p.m. Sunday afternoon in the second annual Will's Match.

Will's Match honors the life of Will Lansdown, the brother of Belmont's Madison Lansdown. In support of Will's legacy and the fight against Niemann-Pick Type C (NPC) disease, $5 from every ticket sold will be donated to the Ara Parseghian Medical Research Fund, which supports research dedicated to finding a treatment and, ultimately, a cure for NPC disease.

Belmont's matchups against Samford and Middle Tennessee will stream live on ESPN+, while live statistics for all three matches will be available at GoBelmontBruins.com.

What's Bruin 

• Belmont enters the weekend 1-2 after finishing second at the Wildcat Invitational in Ogden, Utah, with a win over San Jose State and two five-set losses.  
• Brenna Kauffeld and Erin McMullen were named to the Wildcat Invitational All-Tournament Team.  
• Kauffeld recorded 44 kills, hitting .344, along with 33 digs and five blocks.  
• McMullen tallied 31 kills, hitting .344, and added nine blocks.  
• Kauffeld leads the Bruins with 44 kills, ranking second in the Missouri Valley Conference, followed by Emily Warmenhoven with 38 and McMullen with 31.  
• Alexia Smollen leads Belmont with 15 blocks, followed by McMullen with nine.  
• Jordan Czajkowski leads the MVC with 147 assists and has added 39 digs. She recorded a double-double in all three matches at the Wildcat Invitational.  
• 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 welcomes three newcomers to the roster: junior DS/libero Lauren Evans, a transfer from Butler; sophomore DS/libero Mya Bolton, a transfer from Michigan State; and freshman outside hitter Sydnee Nelson of Oshkosh, Wisconsin.  
• 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.  
• The Bruins have made four NCAA Tournament appearances (2006, 2008, 2012 and 2015) and twice pushed nationally ranked Louisville to four sets in the NCAA Tournament (2012, 2015).  
• Belmont's program history includes signature wins over Mississippi State, Marquette, Virginia Tech, UCF, West Virginia, Boston College, Syracuse, DePaul and UConn. 

About the Jaguars 

• South Alabama enters the weekend 1-2, with a win over Georgia State at the Jaguar Classic.  
• Senior middle hitter Dalayla Blackwell was named Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 1.  
• Sophomore pin hitter Cambria Gaier was named to the Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference Team, while the Jaguars were picked to finish second in the West Division.  
• South Alabama finished the 2025 season 15-14 overall and 9-7 in Sun Belt play, finishing second in the West Division. 
• The Jaguars are led by Jesse Ortiz, who enters his sixth season with the program.  
• Belmont is 1-1 all-time against South Alabama. The Jaguars earned a 3-1 victory in the most recent meeting on Sept. 4, 2015. Belmont's lone win came in a 3-0 victory at the Tulane Tournament in 2011. 

About the Bulldogs 

• Samford enters the weekend 0-2, dropping matches to Alabama and UC Riverside. The Bulldogs took one set from each opponent. 
• Senior outside hitter Ally Cordes was named Preseason All-SoCon after earning Second Team All-SoCon honors in 2025. 
• Samford was picked sixth in the Preseason SoCon Poll. 
• The Bulldogs finished the 2025 season 13-15 overall and 8-8 in SoCon play, finishing sixth in the conference standings. 
• Samford is led by Keylor Chan, who enters his 11th season at the helm. 
• This weekend's match will mark the first meeting between Belmont and Samford. 

About the Blue Raiders  

• Middle Tennessee enters the weekend 2-1, including back-to-back wins over Boise State.  
• Senior middle blocker Michaela Dlouhá was named CUSA Defensive Player of the Week, while freshman libero Marianne Garcia earned CUSA Freshman Player of the Week honors on Aug. 31.  
• The Blue Raiders finished the 2025 season 11-17 overall and 3-13 in Conference USA play, finishing 10th in the league standings.  
• Middle Tennessee is led by Alexa Keckler, who enters her second season with the program.  
• Belmont is 1-2 all-time against Middle Tennessee. The Blue Raiders won the most recent meeting, 3-2, on Sept. 9, 2022, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 

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.