Women's Volleyball

SAA Volleyball Report - Sept. 8, 2026

CANTON, Ga.  – The 2026 Volleyball season began this past week with major performances from McCarthy of Trinity and Armstead of Berry, capturing week one honors from the league.
 
Around the SAA:
SAA Volleyball Schedule/Results
SAA Volleyball Standings
SAA Volleyball Stats
2026 SAA Volleyball Tournament
 
Athletes of the Week
Offense:
Lauren McCarthy | Trinity | SR | Corrales, NM – McCarthy led #2 Trinity to a 4-0 start to the season, which included a 3-0 win over #4 East Texas Baptist University to open its weekend home tournament on Friday night. She was named the MVP of the Trinity National Invitational after piling up 32 kills and committing just two errors for an outstanding .526 hitting percentage. McCarthy also added five aces and a team-best 10 blocks over the four matches. She hit .600 with seven kills against ETBU to open the tournament, then on day two, she had 16 kills without committing an error in wins over Gustavus Adolphus and Redlands - including a 1.000 hitting percentage against Redlands to close out the weekend.
 
Defense:
Cali Armstead | Berry | SO | Birmingham, AL – Cali had three solid defensive performances posting 5 blocks against #13 Tufts, 5 blocks against #18 Ithaca and 5 blocks against host Scranton. On the weekend, Cali posted an SAA-high 1.36 blocks/set. She also added 21 points. 
 

Notable Performances
Offense
  • Madie Whitehead | Berry | SR | Houston, TX – Named to the Scranton National Invitational All-Tournament Team. Tabbed career-high 25 Kills, hitting .413 in a 3-set match against #18 Ithaca. Added a double-double, 16 kills, 11 digs vs. #13 Tufts. Finished the weekend earning 5.64 points/set, 62 total points, 4.73 kills/set, 52 total kills, .336 hitting %, .45 aces/set, .82 blocks/set and 1.63 digs/set. Broke program record for most kills in a 3-set match with 25. 

Defense
  • Dakota Vaiese | Maryville | SR | Kingsport, TN – Senior Dakota Vaiese got off to a fantastic start to the season, helping lead the Scots to a perfect 3-0 record at the Berea Mountaineer Invitational. Across matches against Spalding, Berea, and Brevard, Vaiese totaled 87 assists, 14 digs, six kills, five service aces, and three blocks. Her 87 assists helped fuel Maryville’s undefeated weekend while showcasing her versatility on the court. Through the opening weekend, Vaiese leads the SAA in assists, averaging 9.67 assists per set.
  • Sandy Bourgeois | Millsaps | SR | Luling, LA – Millsaps volleyball senior libero Sandy Bourgeois was impressive in her first week of the 2026 season, helping the Majors to a 3-2 week. The Majors swept Belhaven before traveling to the UMHB Tournament, defeating Alverno College and Texas Lutheran, and narrowly falling to Carroll University and UMHB. Bourgeois tallied 82 digs, added 10 aces, 18 assists across 19 sets.
  • Annabelle Lanik | Trinity | JR | Sugar Land, TX – Lanik led #2 Trinity to a 4-0 start to its season, including a 3-0 victory over #4 East Texas Baptist University to open its home weekend tournament. She finished the week with 46 digs in 13 sets played for an average of 3.54 digs/set, which was nearly double the total of her next closest teammate (24). Lanik started the season with 17 digs in a 3-1 win over Schreiner, then had 13 digs in just three sets against ETBU. 
 
2026 Volleyball Report Archive (AOW Offense/Defense)

 
For more information on all things SAA, visit the websites of any of the participating schools, or go to the SAA's home on the internet at www.saa-sports.com. Be sure to stay up to date on all of your Southern Athletic Association news by following @SAA_Sports on Twitter (X) and @SAA_Sports on Instagram.