Courtesy of LA Tech Athletic Communications
SOCCER
Louisiana Tech returns home Thursday night to face McNeese at Robert Mack Caruthers Field.
First touch is set for 7 p.m., with the match airing on ESPN+.
The Bulldogs (2-2-1) return to Ruston after posting consecutive road victories over Houston Christian and Stephen F. Austin. The two wins marked Tech’s first back-to-back nonconference road victories since the 2020-21 season.
Madison Pensom scored twice during the road swing, while Abby Hanton assisted on three goals.
Freshman goalkeeper Mackenzie Lorkowski was named Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Week after recording 21 saves in the two victories. Lorkowski made a career-high 12 saves and recorded her first collegiate shutout in a 1-0 win over Houston Christian before adding nine saves in the victory over Stephen F. Austin.
Louisiana Tech and McNeese played to a 1-1 draw last season, with Hanton scoring the Bulldogs’ goal off an assist from Pensom. Tech leads the all-time series 6-5-1, including a 4-1 advantage in Ruston.
McNeese enters Thursday’s match 3-3 after dropping three straight and being outscored 11-4 during that stretch. Rhiannon Maynes-Tourond and Isabella Baltov lead the Cowgirls with two goals apiece.
The Cowgirls are coached by Alexsis Cable, who previously served as interim head coach at Nicholls during the 2020-21 season before spending time as an assistant at her alma mater, North Texas.
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VOLLEYBALL
Louisiana Tech volleyball hits the road for the first time this season, traveling to Omaha, Nebraska, for three matches in the Omaha Tourney.
The Bulldogs (2-1) open against Chicago State at 3 p.m. Thursday before facing host Omaha at 6:30 p.m. Friday and Western Michigan at 11 a.m. Saturday. All three matches will be played at Baxter Arena.
Tech opened the season with a 2-1 showing at the Jambalaya Jam, sweeping Iona and rallying for a five-set victory over Houston Christian before falling to Little Rock.
Senior libero Riley Steubing enters the weekend leading the nation with 6.09 digs per set and ranks third nationally with 67 total digs. She recorded a career-high 31 digs against Houston Christian, the second-highest single-match total in the country this season.
The Bulldogs rallied from a two-set deficit against Houston Christian for their first reverse sweep since 2016. Five Tech players finished with double-digit kills, marking the first time since 2007 that five Bulldogs reached double figures in the same match.
Freshman Taylor Woods leads Tech with 29 kills through three matches, including 11 kills without an error against Houston Christian.
Freshman middle blocker Violet Morrandez made an impact in her collegiate debut against the Huskies, recording seven blocks and three kills while hitting .333. She enters the weekend leading the Sun Belt Conference with 1.83 blocks per set.
Chicago State enters the tournament 0-3 after being swept in each of its first three matches. Omaha is 1-1 following a loss to Washington State and a sweep of Central Michigan, while Western Michigan is 3-0 after dropping just one set during its opening weekend.
Louisiana Tech will face Chicago State and Omaha for the first time in program history. Western Michigan leads its series with the Bulldogs 2-0, with the teams last meeting in 2014.
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CROSS COUNTRY
Louisiana Tech’s men’s and women’s cross country teams are set to begin a new chapter as the Bulldogs enter their first season of competition as members of the Sun Belt Conference.
The 2026 campaign features five meets, highlighted by the program’s inaugural appearance at the Sun Belt Cross Country Championships.
Louisiana Tech opens the season on Friday, Sept. 11, at the Demon Invitational, hosted by Northwestern State in Natchitoches, before traveling to Lake Charles for the Cowboy Stampede, hosted by McNeese, on Sept. 26.
The Bulldogs continue their season with back-to-back meets in Mississippi, beginning with the Belhaven Invitational, on Oct. 3 in Jackson before competing at the Watson Cross Country Classic, hosted by Mississippi College, on Oct. 16 in Clinton.
The season concludes with Louisiana Tech making its Sun Belt Conference debut at the conference championships on Friday, Oct. 30, in Foley, Alabama.
The 2026 cross country schedule is listed below. All race times are subject to change.
Demon Invitational – Natchitoches, La. – Sept. 11 (8 a.m. CT)
Cowboy Stampede – Lake Charles, La. – Sept. 26 (TBA)
Belhaven Invitational – Belhaven, Miss. – Oct. 3 (8 a.m. CT)
Watson Cross Country Classic – Clinton, Miss. – Oct. 16 (8 a.m. CT)
Sun Belt Championships – Foley, Ala. – Oct. 30 (TBA)
