Liberty Volleyball Set to Open Season at ETSU Invitational
8/26/2026 9:56:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
LYNCHBURG, Va. -Â Liberty opens year two of the Jeremy White era, Friday and Saturday at the ETSU Buccaneer Classic. The Lady Flames will open the season on Friday against Auburn before taking on Akron and 2025 SoCon regular-season champion ETSU, Saturday.
Liberty's Weekend Matches
Friday, Aug. 28 – 10 a.m. Liberty vs. Auburn Live Stats
Saturday, Aug. 29 – 10 a.m. Liberty vs. Akron Live Stats
Saturday, Aug. 29 – 4 p.m. Liberty at ETSU Live Stats
Quick Hits
Liberty's Weekend Matches
Friday, Aug. 28 – 10 a.m. Liberty vs. Auburn Live Stats
Saturday, Aug. 29 – 10 a.m. Liberty vs. Akron Live Stats
Saturday, Aug. 29 – 4 p.m. Liberty at ETSU Live Stats
Quick Hits
- The 2025 season saw the Lady Flames burst out of the gates to a 14-1 record, finishing 20-10 for their first 20-win season since 2022.
- The Lady Flames were predicted to finish second in the 2026 CUSA Preseason Volleyball Coaches Poll, receiving one first-place vote. 2025 CUSA All-Conference second team selections Carly O'Brien, Jenna Otts and Paige Overcash were all voted to the CUSA Preseason All-Conference Team.
- Last season, Paige Overcash (Sept. 13 vs. ECU, 30 kills) and Carly O'Brien (Sept. 19 at Houston, 31 kills) made Liberty the only NCAA Division I volleyball team with multiple players with a 30-kill match during the 2025 season.
- After returning just 16.3 percent of its point production from 2024 to 2025, the Lady Flames bring back 86.8 percent of their point production from 2025 into this season.Â
- Liberty volleyball posted its first-ever win over a Big Ten team (Rutgers) and Big 12 team last year (Houston), beating both in five sets. The Lady Flames are looking for their second ever win over an SEC opponent, as they beat Alabama, 3-2, Sept. 9, 2001.
- Setter Alison Bierwagen returns after being named to the CUSA All-Freshman Team last year. She set a program 25-point rally-scoring single-match record with 65 assists against ECU, Sept. 13, 2025.
- Liberty has won its season opener in four out of the last five seasons. Last year, Liberty hit .342 in its season opener, sweeping Marist (25-17, 25-18, 25-13).
- The Lady Flames make their first trip to Johnson City, Tenn., since Oct. 15, 2007, when the Lady Flames swept ETSU 3-0 during a month in which Liberty went 10-0 with 10 sweeps.
- There were 13 matches last season in which Carly O'Brien, Jenna Otts and Paige Overcash have all reached double figures in kills, including in four out of the last six matches.
- Liberty was one of nine NCAA Division I volleyball programs who ended the 2025 regular season with a first-year head coach and 20 or more wins, joining Creighton (Brian Rosen), Eastern Illinois (Ryan Millar), Kansas (Matt Ulmer), Louisville (Dan Meske), Nebraska (Dani Busboom Kelly), North Texas (Dave Fleming, Southeastern Louisiana (Lee McBride) and Toledo (Brian Wright).
- Liberty went 9-2 in five-set matches last season, beginning with a reverse sweep against Rutgers on Aug. 30. That was Liberty's first reverse sweep since 2016 at UNC Asheville.
- The Lady Flames hit .300 or better eight times in 2025 after hitting .300 just twice in 2024.
- On Nov. 7 at Missouri State, Liberty's 82 kills were its most since scoring 82 at Presbyterian College on Nov. 2, 2007. The Lady Flames' 98 digs were their most since collecting 100 digs at UC Irvine, Sept. 16, 2010.
- Liberty had three players (Carly O'Brien, Jenna Otts, Paige Overcash) with 350 or more kills in 2025. The last time three Lady Flames had 350 or more kills in the same season was 2007 (Jessica Nelson, Nicki Scripko, Chelaine McCarty), the last year that sets went to 30 points.
- Liberty received Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week honors each of the first five weeks of the 2025 season, in Paige Overcash (three times), Carly O'Brien (Sept. 22) and Jenna Otts (Sept. 29).
- Liberty's Carly O'Brien and Kayla O'Brien are the first pair of sisters to play for Liberty volleyball during the same season since Abby and Kate Phillips in 2021.
Players Mentioned
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