FOLEY, Ala. – A pair of highly contested semifinal matches featured two five set showdowns in the semifinals of the 2025 Sun Belt Volleyball Championship inside the Foley Events Center in Foley, Ala.

Match 7: (1W) Arkansas State 3, (3W) Texas State 2 | Box Score | Photo Gallery
 
Arkansas State (21-8) utilized the block and timely runs down the stretch to outlast Texas State (17-12) in the first semifinal of the day 3-2, 15-25, 25-23, 25-23, 22-25, 15-10.
 
Texas State started the first set on a 6-1 run and led by as many as nine, 19-10. The Bobcats were efficient offensively and closed out the first set on a 4-0 run to take the lead in the match, 25-15.
 
The two teams battled back and forth in the second set, but a late run put the Red Wolves ahead 22-17. A 5-1 run from the Bobcats cut the lead to one, 23-22. A service error and a kill from Kaitlin Whitlock evened the match at one, 25-23. Texas State held a slight 20-17 advantage late in the third set, however Arkansas State went on a 5-1 run to lead 22-21. After a pair of Bobcat points, the Red Wolves settled in with a pair of kills and a block from Whitlock and Daedrianna Cail to take a 2-1 lead in the match, 25-23.
 
The Bobcats were in control of the fourth set with the season on the line as Samantha Wunsch finished the set with a pair of kills to give the tournament its first five set match.
 
Arkansas State had the lead at the switch and extended the lead to five, 10-5, with a block from Haley Glunz. Texas State answered with a 4-1 run to narrow the lead to two after a block from Wunsch and Jade Defraeye. The Red Wolves returned the championship match on a 4-1 run that featured a pair of blocks from Collum and Cail, 15-10.
 
Wunsch led the Bobcats offensively with 22 kills, six blocks and nine digs. Nina Moorer finished with 13 kills as Brooke Bentke finished with 11. Alyssa Clark picked up a match-high 31 digs as Dylan Gilkey totaled 30 assists. Defraeye added six blocks to set a new program record for block assists.
 
For the Red Wolves, Devyn Lewis finished with a team-high 13 kills, followed by Collum with 12. Payton Van Veen totaled nine as Cail finished with 15 total blocks in the match. Mia Maloney added three service aces with 23 digs as Erin Madigan earned the double-double with 28 assists and 10 digs.
 
Match 4: (1E) James Madison 3, (2W) South Alabama 2 | Box Score | Photo Gallery
 
Regular season champions James Madison (22-8) outlasted South Alabama (15-14) in a five-set thriller and the tournament’s second five set match 3-2, 25-21, 25-12, 21-25, 25-27, 21-19.
 
James Madison led 10-6 early in the first set, but South Alabama answered with an 11-1 run to lead 17-11. The Dukes responded immediately with a trio of kills form Ayen Nhial and extended the run by a 13-2 margin to sit on set point, 24-19, after a kill from Sun Belt Player of the Year Kennedy Louisell. The Jaguars picked up a pair of points before Louisell closed the first set 25-21.
 
James Madison jumped out to a 15-4 lead in the second set as a pair of errors gave the Dukes the 25-12 win and 2-0 advantage in the match. South Alabama led by as many as 10, 23-13, in the third set, but a late James Madison run made the scoreline 24-21. A block from Dalayla Blackwell gave the Jaguars their first match point, 25-21.
 
James Madison led 18-12 late in the fourth set, however South Alabama used a strong defensive effort to eventually tie the match at 20. South Alabama picked up an ace from Sun Belt Setter of the Year Anna Loberg to take a 23-21 lead. James Madison answered with a pair of kills from Ana Toumazatos and an attack error to sit on match point, 24-23. A 4-1 Jaguar run was capped off by a block from O’Gorman and Blackwell to send the match into a fifth set.
 
South Alabama held the early advantage 7-3 in the fifth set, however a 7-1 James Madison run gave the Dukes a 10-8 advantage after the kill from Norman. Facing match point and trailing 14-11, South Alabama responded with a 5-1 run to take a 16-15 lead. The two teams jousted at the net as a kill from Louisell and Block from Nhial closed out the match, 21-19.
 
Sun Belt Freshman of the Year Cambria Gaier totaled a team-high 20 kills and 10 digs for the Jaguars. Eva Dittmar totaled 14 kills as Maradith O’Gorman tallied 12 kills, 11 digs and eight blocks in the match. Loberg also picked up a double-double on 43 assists and 17 digs with a pair of service aces and four block assists.
 
Louisell paced the Dukes offensively with a match-high 24 kills and seven digs. Nhial tallied a career-high 12 kills with seven blocks and a .647 hitting percentage. Jordan Smart added a double-double on 10 digs and 26 assists as the Dukes finished with 16 blocks as a team.

2025 Sun Belt Volleyball Tournament Schedule
November 20-23, 2025 | Foley, Ala. | Foley Sports Tourism Complex
 
First Round – Thursday, November 20
Match 1 - 1:30 p.m. CT – (5W) Southern Miss 3, (4E) Georgia State 0
Match 2 - 4:30 p.m. CT – (4W) Troy 3, (5E) Marshall 1
 
Quarterfinals – Friday, November 21
Match 3 – 11:00 a.m. CT – (3W) Texas State 3, (2E) Coastal Carolina 0
Match 4 – 1:30 p.m. CT – (1W) Arkansas State 3, (5W) Southern Miss 0
Match 5 – 4:30 p.m. CT – (1E) James Madison 3, (4W) Troy 1
Match 6 – 7:00 p.m. CT – (2W) South Alabama 3, (3E) Georgia Southern 0
 
Semifinals – Saturday, November 22
Match 7 – 2:00 p.m. CT – (1W) Arkansas State 3, (3W) Texas State 2
Match 8 – 5:00 p.m. CT – (1E) James Madison 3, (2W) South Alabama 2
 
Championship – Sunday, November 23
Match 9 – 4:00 p.m. CT – (1W) Arkansas State vs. Winner Match 8 [ESPN+]