Columbia, MO – Stephens College volleyball opened its 2026 season with a five-set battle against Avila University on Tuesday night inside Silverthorne Arena. The Stars pushed the Eagles to the final points of the fifth set before falling 3-2 (25-20, 18-25, 25-23, 21-25, 14-16).
Stephens came out strong in the opening set, taking a 25-20 victory to grab an early 1-0 advantage. Avila responded in the second with a 25-18 win to even the match. The Stars regained the lead after a tightly contested third set, edging the Eagles 25-23, before Avila answered with a 25-21 win in the fourth to force a deciding fifth set. The finale remained close throughout, but Avila ultimately escaped with a 16-14 victory to take the match. The contest featured 27 ties and 13 lead changes overall, including eight ties and three lead changes in the fifth set alone.
Kailey Brinkley led the Stephens attack with 12 kills while adding 25 digs and three block assists. Michalina Oles followed with 11 kills and a team-high seven block assists, while Alyssa Jackson contributed seven kills and six total blocks. Audrey Dinwiddie directed the offense with 30 assists to go along with 13 digs and two service aces.
Defensively, Alanis Francelino paced the Stars with a match-high 32 digs while Brinkley added 25 and Syerra Mitchell recorded 16. Stephens finished the night with 100 digs and 26 total block assists while recording eight service aces. The Stars held Avila to a .067 hitting percentage and finished at .057 themselves.
The loss moves Stephens to 0-1 on the season. The Stars are back in action this weekend in Salina, Kansas at the Kansas Wesleyan University Classic on Friday and Saturday.
