A look at how teams across the conference fared in the past week
While football took center stage this past weekend, 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 Sept. 14th
Men’s Soccer
For just the fourth time overall — and first time since 2015, the South Carolina Gamecocks met the UNCG Spartans on the pitch this past Saturday. It was also the first meeting held in Greensboro, North Carolina. The No. 11 Spartans scored on a penalty kick in the 20th minute and held the lead deep into the second half. Then, Ethan Ballek scored the equalizer in the 63rd minute before Lonic Sany Kong netted the game-winner in the 84th minute to clinch a 2-1 victory. The Gamecocks improved their overall series lead to 3-0-1.
84′ | Loïc Sany Kong DELIVERS!
SC 2 | 1 UNCG🎥https://t.co/mN7Gq7dret pic.twitter.com/GqKVp3iVxf
— South Carolina Men’s Soccer (@GamecockMSoccer) September 14, 2025
Partly due to the upset of UNCG, the Gamecocks swept the Sun Belt Player of the Week honors. Ballek earned offensive honors after netting three goals and two assists across two wins. Fellow senior William Nilsson earned defensive honors, playing 163 minutes across fixtures against Winthrop and UNCG, helping limit opponents to just five combined shots on goal.
In the latest United Soccer Coaches Top 25 poll, Marshall jumped four spots to No. 6 after drawing with then-No. 12 High Point. West Virginia climbed two spots to No. 13, and Georgia Southern moved into the poll at No. 25 following back-to-back 2-1 victories against Presbyterian and Jacksonville. Kentucky dropped four spots to No. 22 , after a draw against Bowling Green.
Top Games for the Week Ending Sept. 25:
- No. 11 High Point at No. 13 West Virginia
- No. 22 Kentucky at No. 12 Louisville
- No. 6 Marshall at RV VCU
To see the update Sun Belt conference standings and more news, click here.
Women’s Soccer
In the opening weekend of Sun Belt conference play, only two fixtures ended in a result other than a draw. One was South Alabama’s 3-0 win over Louisiana. Despite eight shots in the first half, only Sofia Ferrante’s 42nd-minute strike found the back of the net. The Ragin’ Cajuns tightened their defense in the second half, but South Alabama added two more goals to improve to 5-2 and 1-0 in conference play.
Old Dominion opened conference play with two fixtures against top contenders in the East Division. Against App State on Saturday, the Mountaineers managed only two first-half shots, while ODU attempted 10. Brooke Edwards ended the scoring drought in the 75th minute, but App State’s Kyli Switalski equalized in the 86th minute for a 1-1 draw.
In a home fixture against James Madison, Ashlynn Kulha scored the only goal of the game in the 9th minute to secure a 1-0 on Thursday evening.
A pair of juniors earned Sun Belt Player of the Week honors. Georgia State’s Aaliyah Faddoul received offensive honors after netting two goals, including the game-winner, in a 4-2 victory over Southern Miss. Troy goalkeeper Taylor Richards earned defensive honors, registering a .900 save percentage and nine saves in wins over Arkansas State and Stetson.
To see the update Sun Belt conference standings and more news, click here.
Volleyball
James Madison faced off against Marquette, a team receiving votes in last week’s Top 25 poll. The Dukes were no match for the Big East power. Kennedy Louisell notched a team-high 15 kills and Grace Wenrich tallied 15 assists. Although the first set was closely contested, the Golden Eagles dominated the rest of the match with a 45.3 attack percentage.
After splitting the first two sets in Chapel Hill, Appalachian State lost momentum. No. 25 North Carolina outscored the Mountaineers 50-33 in the final two sets to take the match 3-1 on Tuesday. Addison Heidemann had 23 assists, matching UNC’s Emily Bobbitt for the game high. App State controlled the second set, forcing six errors while allowing only eight kills.
Coastal Carolina was the only Sun Belt team to defeat a Power Five opponent last week, defeating NC State on the road 3-1. Ava Wallis led the Chanticleers with 29 assists, while Jalyn Stout posted a triple-double (15 kills, 16 assists, 11 digs). Despite giving up nine aces, Coastal prevailed. The team fell short against Miami, who sat just outside the Top 25. After dropping the first set 25-8, Coastal won the second but could not sustain momentum, losing the match in four sets.
The Chanticleers dominated this week’s Sun Belt honors. Stout was named Offensive Player of the Week for the second time in three weeks, while Anna Rita nabbed Defensive Player of the Week with 25 blocks and 24 kills in a three-match sweep of the Wolfpack Invitational.
Congratulations to Jalyn and Anna on being named @SunBelt Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week. pic.twitter.com/PGbmNLlfTU
— Coastal Volleyball (@CoastalVball) September 16, 2025
Georgia Southern’s Kirsten Barrett was named Setter of the Week for the second time, after posting three straight double-doubles in the Bulldog Classic.
Top Games for the Week Ending Sept. 25:
- Duke at App State
- Texas State in the Stanford Invitational (vs RV UCLA, at No. 4 Stanford)
- Florida State at Georgia Southern
- Wake Forest at Old Dominion
- South Alabama at Auburn
To see the update Sun Belt conference standings and more news, click here.
Cross Country
Louisiana finished second in both men’s and women’s events at the LSU Invitational, with three runners placing in the top 10. Junior Isabelle Russell finished fifth in the women’s 3K, while sophomore Matthew Maynard finished the men’s 4k in sixth place.
App State also impressed at the Virginia Invitational, finishing in the top five in both races. Thomas Wlazlowski edged teammate Ethan Lipham by 1.3 seconds to claim 10th place, earning Sun Belt Men’s Runner of the Week.
Texas State claimed top-five finishes at the UIW Invite in San Antonio. Junior Alexia Macias finished fourth place in the women’s 5k, while Anthony Parra and Jack Deelman tied for 17th in the men’s 4-mile race.
At the Southern Showcase, no Sun Belt teams placed in the top 10, but Marshall’s Destiny Berryman set a personal best. The sophomore nabbed a top 50 finish with a time of 17:34.9 to earn Sun Belt Women’s Runner of the Week.
To see the update Sun Belt conference standings and more news, click here.
Golf
Five Sun Belt programs opened their seasons at the Golfweek Fall Challenge in Pawley’s Island, South Carolina. Coastal Carolina and Arkansas State led the way in the women’s tournament, finishing fourth and fifth respectively. Old Dominion’s Barbara Car was the top individual, tying for fourth at 2-under par.
On the men’s side, Georgia Southern won the event, finishing one stroke ahead of North Alabama at 35-under. Harrison Sewell captured the individual title at 14-under par.
Golfweek Fall Challenge 🏆
Harrison Sewell@GaSouthernGolf
68-66-68=202
14-under
Wins by 2 shots over Ball State’s Samuel Harris pic.twitter.com/RZcuviDV2R— Lance Ringler (@GolfweekRingler) September 9, 2025
Coastal Carolina’s men team placed fourth at the Myrtle Beach Golf Trips Intercollegiate, shooting 15-under — the best among the four Sun Belt teams in the event. Coastal’s Jack Lee claimed the individual title with a 14-under par showing.
Women’s Field Hockey
While the Sun Belt does not sponsor field hockey, several member schools field teams.
Appalachian State entered MAC play at 4-1, with its only loss coming to defending ACC champion No. 2 North Carolina. The Mountaineers open up against Ohio on Friday.
James Madison had a three-game winning streak snapped on Sept. 14 with a 4-1 loss to No. 3 Virginia. The Dukes (4-3) open conference play Friday against Central Michigan.
As for weekly awards, App State’s Lise Boekaar earned the opening week’s Offensive Player of the Week. James Madison’s Skyler Brown followed suit the following week. The Mountaineers Sophia Baxter earned Defensive Player of the Week honors in week two.
Old Dominion begins Big East play with a 2-4 record, including wins over William & Mary and Wagner. The Monarchs face Providence (4-1) on Friday in Rhode Island. Sophomore Serena Langendoen earned Defensive Player of the Week honors this past week.
To see the update conference standings and more news, visit the Big East page here or the MAC page here.
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