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4 clusters · 8 sources · 35 days · First seen · Last updated

US collegiate volleyball season updates

Overview

Major collegiate volleyball programs began their 2026 seasons with varying results. During the opening weekend, UCF, Utah, and Tennessee all secured sweeps in their respective matches. Notable individual performances included Sasha Cohen recording 10 blocks for UCF and Kamryn Gibadlo reaching 100 career aces for Utah.

As the season progressed, North Texas suffered its first loss of the season in a 3-0 defeat against No. 20 Baylor. Despite a competitive third set, North Texas struggled with a .138 hitting percentage and eight service errors. Lillian Croshaw led the Mean Green offense with nine kills, while Loredana Fouonjic recorded six blocks.

UCF maintained its unbeaten streak following a 3-1 victory over Georgetown at the Wake Forest Invitational. After losing the first set, the Knights secured wins of 25-16, 25-18, and 25-18. Avah Armour and Kiki Horne combined for 26 kills, and freshman Natasha Casey recorded six aces, the highest for a UCF freshman since 2021.

No. 17 Florida recently secured consecutive victories, including a 3-0 sweep of North Texas in front of a record crowd of 2,377. Florida’s defense held North Texas to a .038 hitting percentage during that match. Florida also ended Baylor’s undefeated start to the season with a three-set sweep (25-13, 25-23, 25-19), capitalizing on Baylor’s 20 errors and service issues.

In Big 12 conference play, No. 21 Baylor secured its first conference win with a 3-1 victory over UCF at the Ferrell Center. Baylor won the first two sets 25-16, but UCF won the third set 27-25 before Baylor closed the match 25-22. Ksenia Rakhmanchik led Baylor with 21 kills. Head coach Ryan McGuyre attributed the win to the home-court advantage, noting the team’s 14-2 home record compared to a 6-11 away record since the start of last season.

Entities

Baylor University · Kamryn Gibadlo · Florida Gators · Georgetown University · Baylor Bears

Timeline

  1. [SPORTS] 2 sources
    Baylor volleyball defeats UCF 3-1 in Big 12 home opener

    No. 21 Baylor volleyball defeated UCF 3-1 in its Big 12 home opener, led by Ksenia Rakhmanchik's 21 kills.

  2. [SPORTS] 2 sources
    Florida volleyball sweeps Baylor and North Texas

    No. 17 Florida volleyball secured back-to-back sweeps, defeating North Texas 3-0 and No. 20 Baylor 3-0 to continue their strong season performance.

  3. [SPORTS] 4 sources
    Collegiate volleyball: North Texas falls to Baylor while UCF remains unbeaten

    North Texas volleyball fell 3-0 to No. 20 Baylor for its first loss of the season, while UCF secured a 3-1 victory over Georgetown to remain unbeaten.

  4. [SPORTS] 3 sources
    Collegiate volleyball teams UCF, Utah, and Tennessee secure opening weekend sweeps

    Major collegiate volleyball teams UCF, Utah, and No. 22 Tennessee concluded successful opening weekends with multiple sweeps and individual player milestones.

Sources

baylorbears.com · baylorlariat.com · floridagators.com · guhoyas.com · meangreensports.com · ucfknights.com · utahutes.com · utsports.com

This summary has been updated 2 times: see revision history