Fisk Sweeps Rio Grande, Battles Elite Competition at Phoenix Classic

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

LEBANON, TN - Fisk University women’s volleyball opened the 2026 Phoenix Classic with a commanding 3-0 sweep of Rio Grande on Friday, then faced a far tougher test against preseason No. 2 Eastern Oregon later in the day at Dallas Floyd Phoenix Arena.

Against Rio Grande, the Bulldogs controlled every set, winning 25-20, 25-19 and 25-17. Fisk hit .269 as a team with 41 kills on 108 attempts while limiting the RedStorm to a .080 attack percentage. Shelby Chamblin led the way with 12 kills, 13 digs, two aces and three block assists for 15.5 points. Laila Esters added nine kills on .444 hitting, La’Niyah Lumpkin contributed eight kills on an efficient .500 clip along with five total blocks, and Reagan Jones chipped in six kills. Setter Kaia Barnett directed the offense with 36 assists, nine digs and three total blocks.

The victory provided early momentum before Fisk stepped up in competition level against Eastern Oregon, a program that saw seven teams from its conference reach the NAIA National Tournament a year ago.

“I told the girls just a little bit ago that I didn’t know what to expect,” the Fisk coach said after the Eastern Oregon match. “Eastern Oregon — they had seven teams come out of their conference and go to the National Tournament last year. And it’s not something that we typically see match to match. And so I was just curious to see how they were going to react.

And I think they reacted very well. I think we held them all match. They had to fight. They had to work. So I’m incredibly impressed with the team that showed up on our side tonight.”

The coach described the contest as tight and competitive throughout, praising the Bulldogs for forcing a top-ranked opponent to earn every point.

Looking at the early portion of the season, the staff sees clear progress. “I feel like we’re improving,” the coach said. “We’ve scheduled a really tough preseason, and for us it’s to gain experience. That’s the level we want to be at… The only way that we’re going to be able to compete at that level is to see and go up against that level. So I think as long as we just continue to improve match to match, I’m really, really [pleased].”

After the Eastern Oregon match, the focus shifted to recovery and preparation. “I told them to make sure they’re taking care of their recovery, told them to make sure they’re hydrating, getting to sleep on time… For us coaches, we’ve got a long night of film ahead of us.” The coach also noted the mix of veteran leaders and younger players still building confidence on a split roster.

Fisk closes the Phoenix Classic on Saturday with matches against Columbia International and host Cumberland. The Bulldogs then have a scrimmage at Trevecca on Tuesday before traveling to the Onset Invitational in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where they will face ranked teams including Missouri Baptist, Marion and Bellevue.

“I’m just really proud of how my girls showed up today,” the coach said. “This is not something that we get to experience a lot in our conference. And so just to see how they handled it and just fought from point one to the last whistle — I’m very proud of them.”