Sun Belt student-athletes are making their mark on the national scene
While football continues to take center stage, many other Sun Belt student-athletes are making their mark on the national scene.
Here’s a look at how teams across the conference fared in the past week.
All rankings are accurate as of Nov. 2.
Men’s Soccer
Kentucky held off West Virginia to claim the Sun Belt regular-season title and the No. 1 overall seed in the conference tournament. The Wildcats will host the top half of the bracket in the opening round.
The Mountaineers earned the No. 2 seed and will host the bottom half, losing out on the one-seed after recording one more conference loss than the Wildcats.
Quarterfinal matchups (Nov. 9):
- No. 8 Coastal Carolina at No. 1 Kentucky
- No. 5 UCF vs No. 4 Georgia Southern in Lexington, Kentucky
- No. 7 Old Dominion at No. 2 West Virginia
- No. 6 Georgia State vs No. 3 Marshall in Morgantown, West Virginia
In the final regular season poll before the NCAA Tournament starts, Marshall dropped six spots to No. 17, West Virginia moved up three spots to No. 16, and Kentucky remained at No. 18. Georgia Southern received five votes.
According to College Soccer News, the top four seeds are projected to make the NCAA Tournament, though none are expected to earn a first-round bye.
To see the update Sun Belt conference standings and more news, click here.
Women’s Soccer
The opening round of the Sun Belt Tournament saw no upsets as the top four seeds advanced to the semifinals.
No. 3 seed ULM extended its unbeaten streak to 14 games, defeating No. 6 Marshall 1-0 on a goal from Ava Goodman in the 23rd minute. No. 2 Old Dominion dominated No. 7 Georgia State, winning 4-0.
The other two matches went to penalty kicks. No. 8 Louisiana held No. 1 South Alabama scoreless in regulation before Andrea Iljkic converted the game-winning penalty. No. 4 Texas State advanced past No. 5 James Madison after Constance Agyemang scored the clinching kick in a shootout following a 1-1 tie.
While the quarterfinals went as expected, the semifinals were chock-full of surprises. ULM and Texas State showed why they were among the top teams in the Sun Belt for most of the season. The Warhawks defeated Old Dominion 3-2, jumping out to a 3-0 lead by the 30th minute. The Monarchs netted two in the second half, but was unable to equalize the match.
Kennley Bradley scored the only goal in Texas State’s 1-0 win over South Alabama in the 60th minute.
Those two teams will meet on Nov. 8 for their first conference championship and automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Texas State is making its third overall appearance, having fallen in 2018 and 2024. ULM is making their first-ever championship game appearance after only one previous semifinal berth (2021).
In the final weekly Sun Belt Player of the Week honors, James Madison’s Aleigha Arndt earned Offensive Player of the Week after recording a goal and assist against Texas State in the regular-season finale. Marshall’s Angel Fowler earned Defensive Player of the Week after netting the Thundering Herd’s first hat trick since 2021 against Southern Miss.
To see the update Sun Belt conference standings and more news, click here.
Volleyball
James Madison continues to control the East Division, while a sweep by Georgia Southern allowed the Eagles to jump into second place. Georgia Southern (18-5, 9-3 SBC) swept Coastal Carolina, conceding only one set in the two-game series.
The Dukes (18-6, 11-1 SBC) also impacted the West Division race, sweeping South Alabama. The losses allowed Arkansas State to pull even with the Jaguars (13-10, 8-4 SBC) in the division standings. The Red Wolves (16-7, 9-3 SBC) will head to Mobile, Alabama, this weekend in a crucial series.
Georgia Southern’s Reagan Barth earned Offensive Player of the Week after averaging four kills per set in the Eagles’ first-ever sweep of Coastal. Texas State’s Alyssa Clark received Defensive Player of the Week honors after recording 41 digs in the Bobcats’ sweep of Southern Miss. Georgia Southern’s Kirsten Barrett continues her dominance as Setter of the Week, earning the honor for the sixth time this season.
To see the update Sun Belt conference standings and more news, click here.
Women’s Basketball
The Sun Belt went 8-5 in the SBC-MAC Challenge to start the 2025-26 season.
Defending Sun Belt Tournament champion Arkansas State fell to Ball State 68-66. The Cardinals, the defending MAC Conference champion, won on the strength of Karsyn Norman, who scored four points in the final 30 seconds to seal the victory.
James Madison, the preseason favorite to win the Sun Belt, cruised past Kent State 80-48, holding the Golden Flashes to only 18 first-half points. Peyton McDaniel led the team with 29 points and eight rebounds.
UMass opened their first season as a full MAC member with a 58-52 win over Old Dominion, but the Monarchs put up a fight. Despite leading for less than three minutes, ODU had two players score in double figures led by En’Dya Buford with 15 points.
Coastal Carolina became the first Sun Belt school to face a Power Five opponent this season, traveling to Provo, Utah, to face Brigham Young University. The Cougars outscored the Chanticleers 55-28 in the second half to pull away for a 91-57 victory. Kristin Williams led Coastal with 17 points, while Tracey Hueston finished with 13 points and nine rebounds — her best performance since Feb. 4, 2024, when she played for Charlotte against Temple.
To see the update Sun Belt conference standings and more news, click here.
Women’s Field Hockey
Old Dominion earned the No. 3 seed in the Big East Tournament, which begins on Nov. 7. The Monarchs (8-9, 5-2 Big East) will face UConn, with the all-time series is tied at 25 each. The Huskies have won the last two meetings.
James Madison and Appalachian State both played in the opening round of the MAC Tournament. JMU advanced to the semifinals after scoring two goals in the fourth period to defeat Central Michigan 4-1, but its season ended with a 2-1 loss to No. 1 Miami (OH). The Dukes finished 12-8 overall and 6-3 in MAC play.
As the No. 3 seed, the Mountaineers defeated Ohio 3-1, but fell to No. 2 UMass 4-1. App State finished 14-6 overall and 7-2 in MAC play. Outside of the Ivy League, the at-large bids have been mostly taken up by the ACC and Big Ten.
To see the update conference standings and more news, visit the Big East page here or the MAC page here.
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