Friday, October 16
Statesboro, Ga.
6 p.m.
Georgia Southern University
vs
Arkansas State
PREVIEW: Eagles Set to Host West Division Leader Arkansas State in Hanner
10/15/2026 1:59:00 PM | Volleyball
STATESBORO – Georgia Southern volleyball returns to the friendly confines of Hanner Fieldhouse, hosting the top team in the West Division, Arkansas State. The two sides sit atop their respective divisions and look to make headway in the league standings. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
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FIRST SERVE
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FIRST SERVE
- With their backs against the wall and dropping the first conference match of the season on Thursday in Boone, Georgia Southern volleyball put together an impressive performance on Friday evening, winning the final three sets of the weekend at Appalachian State to split the season series with the Mountaineers, 3-1. Missing key pieces defensively, the Eagles rallied from dropping the first set of the match, 25-21, before winning the next three sets (25-20, 27-25, 25-14) to secure the Friday victory. Led by Alex Myers defensively with nine total blocks, Georgia Southern tallied 14.0 total blocks on the day, including five solo blocks and four block assists by Lexi Duffy.
- For the second consecutive week, Georgia Southern volleyball finds itself as the premier highlight matchup in the Sun Belt, hosting the top team in the West Division, Arkansas State, in Hanner Fieldhouse. Both sides enter play on Friday with a 5-1 record in Sun Belt play, while the Eagles sit on top of the East Division. As the conference season reaches its halfway point, Georgia Southern looks to put a strangle hold in the East, while adding wins to its league record before a showdown in Hanner against James Madison next weekend. Georgia Southern boasts an 8-0 record inside Hanner Fieldhouse this season, holding a consecutive set won streak of 13 inside the friendly confines.
- Third year defensive specialist, Mayte Camacho, stepped into a big role on Friday evening at Appalachian State with the absence of Maddie Cugino. Camacho slid into the role like a pro, helping guide the Eagles to a 3-1 victory to split the weekend. Anchoring the Eagles' defense, Camacho led the team with 15 digs, adding four assists, and recording a perfect 26 receptions, as the Eagles produced one of the most complete matches of the year to this point.
- Georgia Southern ranks in the top half of the Sun Belt Conference in a multitude of statistical categories entering the halfway point of league play. The Eagles are second in points per set (17.52), second in opponent hitting percentage (.172), first in hitting percentage (.259), second in assists per set (12.55), first in kills per set (13.88), second in opponent blocks (92.0) and opponent blocks per set (1.44), sixth in blocks (161.5), third in blocks per set (2.52), second in opponent service aces (0.98), fourth in digs (1,026), and second in digs per set (16.03).
- Third year libero, Maddie Cugino, surpassed a huge milestone at the Eagle Invitational, collecting 1,000 career digs. The Columbus, Ohio, native surpassed the 1,000 digs mark against Fordham, where she finished with 19. Prior to her arrival in Statesboro, Cugino tallied 330 digs at Gonzaga, before recording 781 to this point in her career at Georgia Southern. She is a three-time Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year and secured back-to-back Defensive honors this season to open Sun Belt play. In 2025, Cugino set a new career-best, tallying 485 digs as the leader of the Eagles' defense.
- Georgia Southern has been a force inside Hanner Fieldhouse, posting an 8-0 record and dropping just three total sets in those matches. The Eagles have swept both home non-conference tournaments and have turned Hanner Fieldhouse into one of the hardest venues in the league to play in. In the program's history, the Eagles have posted a 311-204 record at home and a record of 71-29 under head coach Chad Willis. At home, the Eagles have won 13 consecutive sets dating back to September 18 against Kennesaw State.
Players Mentioned
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