PREVIEW: Ladyjacks Head to Kansas to Begin 2026 Campaign

Friday, August 28

Wichita, KS

10:00 AM

Stephen F. Austin

Idaho State

Kennedy Jones celebrating point against UT Tyler

PREVIEW: Ladyjacks Head to Kansas to Begin 2026 Campaign

8/27/2026 10:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball

By: Amanda Paver, Assistant Director of Communications

NACOGDOCHES, Texas- The Stephen F. Austin volleyball program will begin their 2026 campaign in Wichita, Kansas at the Shocker Volleyball Classic.

WEEKEND SCHEDULE
• The Ladyjacks will open the 2026 season against Idaho State on Friday at 10:00 a.m.
• SFA will face host Wichita State on Friday at 6:00 p.m.
• The Ladyjacks will wrap up the tournament against Missouri State on Saturday at 2:00 p.m.

WHERE TO TUNE IN
• All games will have live stats and radio with Greg Miller on sfavolleyblog.net.
• Friday night's match against Wichita State will also be broadcasted on ESPN+.

SCOUTING IDAHO STATE
• The Bengals finished 13-18 overall and 7-9 in Big Sky play last season.
• The Big Sky preseason poll has the Bengals tied for third.
• Senior, Jaydin Watts was named the 2026 Big Sky preseason All-Conference Team.
• Watts returns after recording 257 kills and 124 blocks last season.
• Junior, Jenna Werbelow recorded 432 digs last season.
• Annelie Wilson and Nora Waddoups return after successful freshman seasons in 2025.
• Wilson contributed 183 kills while Waddoups was named to the Big Sky All-Tournament team after recording 976 assists, 98 kills and 37 aces.

SCOUTING WICHITA STATE
• The Shockers ended last season with a 19-11 record and a 10-6 record in the American.
• Wichita State was picked to finish fourth in the American Preseason Poll.
• Senior, Jordan Heatherly earned a spot on the American Conference Preseason Team after recording 1,020 assists and 33 aces.
• Senior, Sydney Dunning returns after leading the team with 420 kills.
• The Shockers also return fifth year, Maddie Wilson who finished fourth on the team with 202 kills and led the team with 119 blocks last season.
• Defensively, WSU returns their digs leader in Gabi Maas who recorded 393 digs last season.

SCOUTING MISSOURI STATE
• The Bears finished with a 12-17 record and a 6-10 record in Conference USA.
• Missouri State was picked to finish sixth in the CUSA Preseason Poll.
• Sophomore, Hannah Gardner was named to the preseason All-Conference USA team after recording 183 kills, 480 assists, 23 aces, 219 digs and 46 blocks.
• Junior, Rilynn Finley returns for the Bears after finishing second on the team with 256 kills.
• On the defensive side, the Bears return their digs leader in Brooke Eslinger who recorded 343 digs.

SERIES HISTORY
• SFA holds a 0-1 record against Idaho State, with their last encounter resulting in a 3-1 loss in 2010.
• SFA leads the series against Wichita State 4-3, having last defeated the Shockers 3-1 in 2018.
• SFA trails 1-3 in the series with Missouri State, with their last victory being a 3-1 win in 2011.

2025 RECAP
• The Ladyjacks finsihed 23-8 overall record in 2025 and an NCAA First Round Appearance for the third time in four seasons.
• SFA earned their 13^th SLC regular season championship and seventh SLC tournament championship.

LADYJACKS PREVIEW
• The Ladyjacks boast a strong defensive lineup, featuring the top Southland Conference blockers Kyanna Creecy, Jordan Henderson, and Molly Cravens, who each recorded over 100 blocks in the previous season.
• Offensively, SFA led the Southland Conference in several categories, including assists, kills, blocks, service aces, and opponent hitting percentage.
• SFA is led by three seniors, Cambry Saul, Caroline Kahle, and Kyanna Creecy who have spent all four years in the Piney Woods.

FOLLOW THE LADYJACKS
For all the latest information on SFA Volleyball, visit SFAjacks.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Ladyjacks on X, Instagram and Facebook