NEW ORLEANS – The LSU New Orleans Privateers volleyball team will open their 2026 campaign with the LSU New Orleans-Nicholls Challenge. The weekend starts on Friday against Alcorn State at 6:30 p.m. Matches against Stonehill (11 a.m.) and Oral Roberts (4:30 p.m.) will follow on Saturday.
 
All matches will take place at the Human Performance Center and will be carried on ESPN+.
 
The Privateers played two scrimmages against local competitors as part of their preseason preparation. They defeated Xavier (La.) 3-0 on Aug. 15 and won by the same score line against Dillard on Aug. 22.
 
Ava Frerman, who is one of the incoming freshmen on the squad, led the team in kills with 10 in both matches. Frerman prepped at Fontainebleau HS where she was an All-State and All-District selection.
 
Defne Eciroglu is one of three seniors who have been on the Lakefront all four years. The senior setter is 399 assists away from becoming the seventh student-athlete in program history to record 2,000 career assists. Eciroglu recorded 7.06 assists per set last season, the most in a single season in her collegiate career.
 
LSU New Orleans has won all 12 of their matches in program history against Alcorn State. 11 of those 12 meetings have been 3-0 sweeps. The Privateers won their first ever meeting against Stonehill in 2025. LSU New Orleans is just 1-6 all-time against Oral Roberts. The two teams will meet for the first time since the Golden Eagles were briefly in the Southland in 2013.
 
ABOUT THE OPPONENTS
Alcorn State was selected to finish 10^th in the SWAC preseason poll. The Lady Braves return their leader in kills from last season in Courtney Carter and their primary setter in Juliana Henao.
 
Stonehill went 6-24 last season overall and 5-11 in Northeast Conference play. The Skyhawks return two of their top three student-athletes in kills from last season. Sam Loyd had 259 total kills while Abby Farrell had 141 kills along with 51 total blocks.
 
Oral Roberts went 3-25 overall last season and 1-15 in Summit League play. Cortnee Smith returns for her junior season after having a sophomore campaign that saw her earn second team All-Summit League honors after registering 209 kills.
 
ABOUT LSU NEW ORLEANS
In July of 2026 the University of New Orleans rejoined the LSU system and rebranded to "LSU New Orleans" bringing together two powerful brands - the purple and gold of LSU with the unbreakable spirit of New Orleans. The transition marks a return to the LSU family for the University - a place it called home from 1958-2011. Athletic teams will remain the Privateers and continue to compete in the Southland Conference.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
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