Lady Flames Travel to Jax State for Weekend Matches
9/30/2026 10:39:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
LYNCHBURG, Va. - Liberty (9-5, 1-1 CUSA) travels to Jacksonville, Ala., for the first time since 2023, taking on Jacksonville State (3-11, 0-2) on Friday and Saturday.
Quick Hits
Quick Hits
- The Lady Flames have won all four matches against Jacksonville State since both teams joined Conference USA in 2023. These two teams last met in 2024, in Lynchburg, with the Lady Flames winning, 3-1 and 3-2, respectively.
- Liberty fell in five sets to Middle Tennessee to open CUSA play last Friday, before downing the Blue Raiders in four sets on Saturday. The Lady Flames are 5-1 in their last six matches.
- Liberty was predicted second in the 2026 CUSA Preseason Coaches' Poll, while Jacksonville State tied for eighth with Middle Tennessee.
- The Gamecocks, who have not played at home since Aug. 29, fell twice at Delaware to open CUSA play.
- Sophomore middle blocker Laney Daniell ranks second in CUSA in overall hitting percentage, at .411. She hit .591 with a career-high 14 kills last Friday, the most kills by a Liberty middle blocker since 2023.
- Freshman libero Melis Ural ranks eighth in CUSA with 3.60 digs per set overall. She has posted 12 straight 10-dig matches, the first Lady Flame since 2019 with 12 consecutive 10-dig contests.
- On Friday, Laney Daniell, Paige Overcash, Carly O'Brien and Jenna Otts all reached double figures in kills, the third time this season Liberty has had four 10-kill players in a match.
- Liberty has been a resilient team this season, going 5-0 in matches immediately following a loss. The Lady Flames are 11-3 in five-set matches under second-year Head Coach Jeremy White.
- The only players remaining on either team's roster who played in the last Liberty-Jax State meeting (Oct. 5, 2024) are Liberty's Charli Crowson, Charli Morris and Carly O'Brien.
- Through the first eight matches this season, Liberty held a 4-4 record, being outhit by opponents a combined .265-.229. In the last six matches, during which Liberty is 5-1, the Lady Flames have outhit opponents .260-.165. The Lady Flames have also vastly improved defensive numbers over the last four matches, averaging 16.29 digs per set and 2.38 blocks per set during that span.
- Prior to last year, the last time Liberty came back from a 2-0 deficit to win a match was 2016. The Lady Flames have posted two reverse sweeps under second-year Head Coach Jeremy White, going 11-3 in five-set matches during his tenure.
- Last season, only three Lady Flames (Carly O'Brien, Jenna Otts and Paige Overcash) recorded at least one double-digit kill match. Through six matches this year, Liberty has already gotten at least one 10-kill match from six players (Layla Collins, Laney Daniell, Addison Hart, Carly O'Brien, Jenna Otts and Paige Overcash).
- 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.
- Liberty was voted second in the 2026 CUSA Preseason Coaches Poll, receiving one first-place vote. 2025 CUSA All-Conference second team selections Carly O'Brien, Jenna Otts and Paige Overcash all appeared on the 2026 CUSA Preseason All-Conference Team.
Players Mentioned
MB
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MB
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S
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OH/RS
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OH
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DS/L
/ Women's VolleyballSaturday, September 26
Saturday, September 19
Tuesday, November 18
Saturday, October 11