Liberty Heads to Houston for Cougar Challenge

Liberty (9-1) brings a five-match winning streak to Houston for the Cougar Challenge, Friday and Saturday, where the Lady Flames will face McNeese, Houston and North Alabama.

Cougar Challenge - Houston, Texas
Friday, Sept. 19 - Noon ET Liberty vs. McNeese Live Stats
Friday, Sept. 19 - 8 p.m. ET Liberty at Houston ESPN+ | Live Stats
Saturday, Sept. 20 - 5 p.m. ET. Liberty vs. North Alabama Live Stats

Quick Hits

The Lady Flames won the Tribe Invitational last weekend, going 3-0 including a 3-2 victory over previously unbeaten East Carolina.
In the ECU match, Liberty set program 25-point rally-scoring records for team kills (78), individual kills (30 - Paige Overcash) and individual assists (65 - Alison Bierwagen.
At 9-1, Liberty is off to its best 10-match start to a season in program history.
Liberty beat Rutgers on Aug. 30, the team's first-ever win over a Big Ten program. The Lady Flames have an opportunity for their first-ever win over a Big 12 opponent, Friday at Houston.
Paige Overcash was named CUSA Offensive Player of the Week for the third straight week, the first Lady Flame since all-time to win three consecutive player of the week honors.
Overcash ranks third in CUSA in both hitting percentage (.405) and kills per set (3.83).
Alison Bierwagen posted six straight double-doubles, the longest double-double streak by a Lady Flame since 2004.
Laney Daniell has recorded five five-block matches in her first 10 career matches.
Carly O'Brien tied her career high with 19 kills on Monday against Radford, including the match-clinching kill in the fifth set.

Team Notes

Liberty has won two invitationals this season (Buffalo, William & Mary), the first time since 2023 that the Lady Flames have won two in-season tournaments.
On Aug. 30, Liberty overcame a 2-0 deficit for the first time since 2016, beating Rutgers. Liberty is 4-0 in five-set matches, with three of the four fifth sets being decided by just two points each. The Lady Flames most recently edged Radford 15-13 in the fifth set on Monday.
Liberty has already hit .300 or better more times this year (four) than in all of the 2024 season.
Jeremy White begins his first season at Liberty. He served as head coach at Southeastern Louisiana for the last six years, posting a 113-58 record and leading the Lions to two NCAA Tournaments. Last year, Southeastern posted a nation-leading 24-match winning streak. White is a three-time Southland Conference Coach of the Year and four-time LSWA Louisiana Coach of the Year.
White will be coaching against his alma mater, as he is a two-time graduate of McNees (2008, 2016) and he was an assistant on McNeese's staff in 2015 and 2016.
Former Tulsa head coach Ryan Wills (2014-22) serves as an assistant coach on White's staff. Mackenzie Martin is in her first year as an assistant coach after finishing her collegiate playing career at The Citadel last season.
Liberty welcomes 11 newcomers this season, including four transfers. Graduate students Zoe Hall (TCU) and Shyia Richardson (Louisiana) join the Lady Flames, along with junior Molly Littlefield (Gardner-Webb) and sophomore Layla Collins (Virginia Tech).
Freshman Kayla O'Brien joins her older sister, sophomore Carly O'Brien, on the Lady Flames' roster. They are the first pair of sisters to play for Liberty Volleyball in the same season since Abby and Kate Phillips in 2021.

Schedule

Liberty Heads to Houston for Cougar Challenge

Players Mentioned

Alison Bierwagen

Layla Collins

Laney Daniell

Zoe Hall

Molly Littlefield

Carly O'Brien

Kayla O'Brien

Paige Overcash

Shyia Richardson

Liberty Heads to Houston for Cougar Challenge

Players Mentioned

Alison Bierwagen

Layla Collins

Laney Daniell

Zoe Hall

Molly Littlefield

Carly O'Brien

Kayla O'Brien

Paige Overcash

Shyia Richardson

Related Videos