Ladyjack Volleyball 2026 Season Diary

In this entry we recap the 'Jacks home and away victories over travel partner Lamar and focus on the stellar net defense during the week, the steady setting output featuring Izzy Orton, and the increased offensive efficiency by right side Molly Cravens. With four conference matches remaining, SFA finds themselves in a four-way tie for first in the SLC standings at 11-2. Recorded on November 2, 2026.

Senior MB Kyanna Creecy has entered the Top 10 career blocks list at SFA. This entry is a tribute to her accomplishments as I run-down my memory of the 7 on the list that I know personally. This entry serves as a history of some of the greatest middle blockers to come to Stephen F. Austin.

One of the essential roles on the support staff for SFA Volleyball is that of team trainer Kaylee Wood. Kaylee is in her 5th year working with SFA Volleyball and takes us through education and experiences required to do her job, relationship building, daily schedules and activities - both on practice and match days. Kaylee also discusses the AT role in establishing and carrying out concussion and trauma protocols. Recorded on Friday, October 16, 2026 at the team hotel (Spring Hill Suites) in Corpus Christi, TX.

UTRGV Head Volleyball Coach Todd Lowery joins in on a diary entry focused on mixing recruiting for American-born players as well as integrating players from around the world on his NCAA Divsion 1 roster. We talk about establishing connections, being intentional about mixing cultures and the impacts of having a heterogenous roster in the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas. Recorded in the UTRGV Volleyball film room in the UTRGV Fieldhouse on October 14, 2026.

In the next few matches, Caroline Kahle will achieve 1000 career digs and fellow senior Kyanna Creecy will enter the Top 10 Blocks List All-Time at SFA. Creecy is already established on the Top 10 All-Time career lists in blocks per set and attack percentage. We go over all the upcoming milestones in this diary entry recorded outside on the UTRGV campus before the 'Jacks/Vaqueros match on October 15, 2026.

In our weekly recap, we revisit the 'Jacks matches against UIW and HCU at home. The production from the left side of Koonsen and Kahle stays strong and the carousel at libero continues with Brinkley Reeves being the latest Ladyjack to start at that position. It was one up (HCU) and one down (UIW) in the standings and we cover all the angles of the two matches before SFA travels south for a good test against UTRGV and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on the road.

Stephen F. Austin AD Michael McBroom checks in on Entry 16 and we discuss the modern landscape of volleyball's place in athletic programs, bridging the roles between the academic & athletic sides of the university and how to meet current challenges to advance the SFA Volleyball program plus more. Recorded in the Rusk Building on the SFA campus on October 5, 2026.

Continuing our entries that bring in people from the volleyball world outside of SFA, this entry is a chat with Tayler Gray, Head Volleyball Coach at McNeese. Earlier in the season (Entry 6), we spoke with Tayler's mother, Brenda, the 42 year head coach at Sam Houston where Tayler played both volleyball and softball. In this entry we talk about player and coach personalities, embracing new communities, making adjustments while coaching, and building relationships with administrators and staff members as well as a lot more. Recorded in the Doland Fieldhouse on the McNeese State University campus on October 1, 2026.

Stephen F. Austin got two road wins at McNeese and Nicholls last week on a rainy road trip to Louisiana. Jordan Henderson got named Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Week for her efforts. Listen in as we recap the two road wins and discuss the advances of the offense and the search for consistency on defense. SFA is now 4-0 in Southland play after the two W's last week. October 5, 2026.

Junior Right Side Hitter Lara (read: La-duh) Gilardi (jee-lar-jee) grew up in Brazil and began playing volleyball seriously only as a middle-aged teen. This coversation discusses the cultural and technical differences of volleyball training in Brazil versus the United States. We discuss the influence of volleyball on young athletes in both geographies and also get into the training differences in terms of technique and weight work as well as other topics that differ across countries. Recorded in Shelton Gym on September 30, 2026.

SFA got their first two 2026 Southland Conference wins last week by defeating SLU and LSU-New Orleans in straight sets. Jordan Henderson etched her name in the record books hitting .917 against the Lions and Kat Holtman had a dominating third set against the Privateers. We review these and other great performances from last week as we get ready for the first Southland road trip of the year this week to McNeese and Nicholls.

This diary entry reminds - or introduces you, as the case may be, to RPI - a ranking system using team schedules, opponent schedules and other factors to sort through all 348 NCAA Division 1 programs. The RPI isn't officially released until October, but a look into how these RPI's project lends some support to the thought that we may experience a "slightly down" year for Southland Volleyball. We take a look at what that might mean for a historically strong program like SFA.

Katherine Holtman and Jordan Henderson, both juniors for SFA Volleyball, discuss the balance between being an athlete, a student, a friend and other roles that all of our lives must take on at times. Each of Kat and Jordan break down a typical "day-in-the-life" of the student-athlete and discuss things they've become better at in terms of life balance and efficiency. Take a listen to this truly "behind what you see on the court" type discussion with two of our veterans and leaders at SFA Volleyball.

The 'Jacks won two out of three during the trip to Abilene and got some really nice perfromances from Katherine Holtman, Molly Cravens, Avery Koonsen and Kennedy Jones, just to name a few. We recap Week 4 focusing on the highlights while looking forward to consistency and increased effective connections between setters and middles as we move into conference play.

Week 3 saw the Jacks go 2-2 and on quite the rollercoaster ride from match to match. There were highs against UT-Arlington and a good portion of the Sam Houston matches, but that match against North Texas was one that we'd like to forget. Listen in as we ask questions concerning Week 4 and hit the highlights and recap reasons for confidence going forward.

In this truly informative entry, SFA Associate Head Coach Madi Hicks discusses the training of serving including teaching players to listen to what their bodies are doing while serving from a biomechanical standpoint. We also get into analyzing serving efficiency and scouting defenders for the purpose of serving protocols in preparing for matches and making adjustments during them.

Sam Houston State head coach Brenda Gray has been in charge of Bearkat Volleyball for 43 seasons. As a rival and yet a mentor, it was a pleasure to sit and chat with Coach Gray before the SFA/SHSU match on September 8, 2026.

In this Week 2 breakdown, we recap the matches against Loyola-Chicago and Cal while looking forward to four matches in five days. In this entry, we focus on offensive efficiency and the need for all aspects of the offense to continue to take strides forward. We also talk about the possibility of needing our depth since we face a four-match week. Overall, the theme is moving from good to great with an offense that shows potential as it is still a work in progress during the pre-conference part of the schedule.

Avery Koonsen and Erin Goodson played their club volleyball together in the Greater Houston area. Koonsen and Goodson now find themselves as freshmen teammates for SFA. In this diary entry, we explore both the benefits and often mentioned issues associated with the club experience: cost, travel, affect on the HS game, overuse and specialization, parental pressure, as well as other dimensions.

Graduate Setter Madi Zorn and Seniors Cambry Saul and Caroline Kahle join me on the bus ride to Wichita, KS to discuss how to pass time during travel and do's/don'ts of long bus rides to matches. You're sure to learn something new in this hilarious breakdown of how we get from Point A to Point B all together in large travel buses.