FOLEY, Ala. – The 2023 Sun Belt Volleyball Championship Semifinal matchups are set. Coastal Carolina, James Madison, South Alabama and Texas State all earned victories on Friday at the Foley Events Center in the quarterfinal round of the Sun Belt Volleyball Championship.
 
Both semifinal matchups occurred at the championships last year. In a rematch from the quarterfinal round, Coastal Carolina will face South Alabama at 2 p.m. CT. Last year’s SBC Tournament Championship Game will repeat itself as James Madison and Texas State square off at 5 p.m. CT. Both contests will be broadcast on ESPN+. 
 
Tickets may be purchased in advance online through the Foley Sports Tourism Box Office. Tickets are sold on a daily basis and are $10 per day for adults and $5 per day for children ages 12 and under. Students of Sun Belt Conference institutions are admitted free with a valid student ID.
 
Match 7: (2W) South Alabama 3, (3E) Georgia Southern 0 | Box Score | Photo Gallery
 
South Alabama’s outside hitter and First Team All-Conference member Hannah Maddux finished with a match-high 30 kills and a .340 hitting percentage to aid the Jaguars to a 3-0 win (25-23, 25-11, 25-20) over Georgia Southern in the first quarterfinal of the day.
 
The Jaguars (22-7) defense prevailed with 11 blocks and limited the Eagles to a .079 hitting percentage and just 30 kills. This marks the third consecutive season that South Alabama will advance to the Sun Belt Championship Semifinals.
 
South Alabama, the No. 2 seed from the Sun Belt West, faces Coastal Carolina, the top seed from the East, in Saturday’s first semifinal. Opening serve is set for 2:00 p.m. CT and the match will be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
Georgia Southern (21-8) was led by Jillian Gray who tallied ten kills and four block assists.

Match 8: (1E) Coastal Carolina 3, (4W) Louisiana 0 | Box Score | Photo Gallery
 
For the fourth time in the last five years, Coastal Carolina will return to the Sun Belt Championship Semifinals after being led by a pair of All-Conference performers in Jasmine Rivest and Jalyn Stout to defeat Louisiana 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-20).
 
The Chanticleers (20-9) were led by Offensive Player of the Year and Player of the Year Jasmine Rivest who tallied a double-double on a match-high 18 kills, 13 digs, three block assists and a pair of service aces. Freshman of the Year Jalyn Stout tallied 21 assists with 11 kills and five digs.
 
Coastal Carolina, the No. 1 seed from the Sun Belt East and regular season champions, faces South Alabama, the No. 2 seed from the West, in Saturday’s first semifinal. Opening serve is set for 2:00 p.m. CT and the match will be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
Louisiana was led by Celeste Darling who tallied a team-high 11 kills with two solo blocks and a block assist.
 
Match 9: (2E) James Madison 3, (3W) Troy 2 | Box Score | Photo Gallery
 
James Madison used stellar performances from its First Team All-Conference members to outlast Troy in a five set battle 3-2 (25-20, 23-25, 25-21, 22-25, 15-9). This will mark the second consecutive semifinals appearance for the Dukes.
 
Sophie Davis and Miëtte Veldman each led the Dukes (20-8) in kills with 17. Davis added seven solo blocks with three block assists as Veldman tallied 11 digs and two blocks. The Dukes led in blocks 20-7 and aces 11-6.
 
James Madison, the No. 2 seed from the Sun Belt East, faces Texas State, the top seed from the West, in Saturday’s second semifinal. Opening serve is set for 5:00 p.m. CT and the match will be broadcast on ESPN+.

In a truly back and forth affair, the Trojans (15-13) relied on a herculean effort from Tori Hester, who tallied 26 kills in the match. After James Madison won the first and third set, Troy pushed the pace in the fourth set to force just the second five set match of the tournament. Trailing 15-12 late in the fourth, the Trojans used a 10-2 run that featured six consecutive kills from Hester to lead 22-17. The Dukes cut the lead to one, but a pair of kills from Julia Brooks forced the fifth set.
 
Brooks finished the match with 19 kills and added four block assists, as Hester earned the double-double with 17 digs. Setter Janelle Stuempfig finished with 55 assists as Jaci Mesa tallied a team-high 19 digs.
 
Match 10: (1W) Texas State 3, (4E) Marshall 0 | Box Score | Photo Gallery
 
Texas State used a combination of stout defense and fast paced offense to defeat Marshall 3-0 (25-13, 25-14, 25-11) in the final quarterfinal matchup of the day.
 
The Bobcats (20-8) extended their streak to eleven consecutive semifinals appearance, as they have not missed the Sun Belt Semifinals since joining the league in 2013. Texas State was led offensively by Samantha Wunsch who had a match-high 11 kills. Six different Bobcats recorded a block as setter Ryann Torres tallied a double-double with 14 digs and 33 assists. Texas State led 45-21 in kills, 7-2 in aces, 8-2 in blocks, 41-19 in assists and 58-42 in digs.
 
Texas State, the No. 1 seed from the Sun Belt West, faces James Madison, the No. 2 seed from the East, in Saturday’s second semifinal. Opening serve is set for 5:00 p.m. CT and the match will be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
Marshall (13-19) was led by Brynn Brown who tallied 11 digs, nine assists and six kills.
 
2023 Sun Belt Volleyball Tournament Schedule and Results
November 15-19, 2023 | Foley, Ala. | Foley Sports Tourism Complex
 
First Round – Wednesday, November 15
Match 1 – (6W) Arkansas State 3, (7E) Georgia State 1
Match 2 – (6E) App State 3, (7W) ULM 0
 
Second Round – Thursday, November 16
Match 3 – (3E) Georgia Southern 3, (6W) Arkansas State 1
Match 4 – (4W) Louisiana 3, (5E) Old Dominion 0
Match 5 – (3W) Troy 3, (6E) App State 0
Match 6 – (4E) Marshall 3, (5W) Southern Miss 2
 
Quarterfinals – Friday, November 17
Match 7 – (2W) South Alabama 3, (3E) Georgia Southern 0
Match 8 – (1E) Coastal Carolina 3, (4W) Louisiana 0
Match 9 – (2E) James Madison 3, (3W) Troy 2
Match 10 – (1W) Texas State 3, (4E) Marshall 0
 
Semifinals – Saturday, November 18
Match 11 – 2:00 p.m. CT – (1E) Coastal Carolina vs. (2W) South Alabama [ESPN+]
Match 12 – 5:00 p.m. CT – (1W) Texas State vs. (2E) James Madison [ESPN+]
 
Championship – Sunday, November 19
Match 13 – 3:00 p.m. CT – Winner Match 11 vs. Winner Match 12 [ESPN+]