Coming off a Final Four appearance a year ago, Nixa volleyball has found its stride during the opening month of the 2026 season, combining a balanced attack with strong back-row play as the Eagles enter the next portion of their schedule with a 12-5 overall record.

Through 17 matches, Nixa has won nine of its last 11 contests and has posted seven sweeps this season.

Nixa opened the season Aug. 29 with wins over Liberty and Liberty North before dropping close matches against Farmington, Ark. (2025 Class 5A Runners-Up) and Helias Catholic. The Eagles responded quickly, sweeping Jefferson City and Webb City.

That momentum continued at the Rockwood Classic. Nixa swept Oakville before earning a three-set victory over Marquette, 25-23, 11-25, 25-17. Libero Mara Coulter anchored the defense against Marquette with 28 digs and added five service aces, while setter Peyton Creed finished with 14 assists and seven digs.

After dropping matches to St. Francis Borgia and Eureka, the Eagles closed the tournament with a three-set victory over St. James Academy, Kan. That win started Nixa's best stretch of the season to date.

The Eagles returned home Sept. 15 and swept Willard, 25-18, 25-18, 25-12. Mya McCubbin led the attack with 14 kills, while Creed and Sophia Estes each recorded 15 assists. Creed also added three service aces. Coulter tallied 21 digs in the game, surpassing a career milestone of 1500 digs. 

Two days later, Nixa carried that momentum to Joplin and swept the host Eagles, winning 25-13, 25-14, 25-11. Cora Kubik recorded a team-high 11 kills, Creed distributed 17 assists, and Coulter collected 17 digs.

Nixa then turned its attention to the Springfield Classic on Sept. 19 and won three of four matches.

The Eagles opened tournament play with a sweep of Staley. Nixa totaled 33 kills in two sets, averaging 16.5 kills per set, while hitting .300. The Eagles also recorded 11 service aces in the victory.

Nixa followed with consecutive sweeps of Arkansas teams Conway and Bryant. Against Bryant, the Eagles hit .215 and averaged 13.5 kills per set.

The six-match winning streak ended in the Springfield Classic finale when Rock Bridge edged Nixa in three sets. Despite the loss, the Eagles finished the tournament 3-1 and completed the week with five victories in six matches.

Nixa's success has been fueled by production throughout the lineup. Senior Mya McCubbin leads the Eagles with 167 kills through 46 sets, averaging 3.6 kills per set, while junior Cora Kubik has added 127 kills. Senior Ava Wood has contributed 74 kills, and junior Makinley Burbridge has 67.

Creed and Estes have shared the setting responsibilities. Creed leads Nixa with 229 assists, averaging 5.0 per set, while Estes has recorded 171 assists and averages 4.2 per set. Together, the pair has accounted for 400 of the Eagles' 447 assists.

Defensively, senior libero Mara Coulter has anchored the back row with a team-high 289 digs, averaging 6.3 per set. McCubbin has added 143 digs, while Anna Pearcy has 135 and Creed has 97.

Senior Kimberlyn McCowan leads Nixa at the net with 27 total blocks, including 17 solo blocks, while Burbridge has recorded 22 total blocks.

The Eagles have also applied pressure from the service line. Pearcy leads Nixa with 27 aces, followed by Creed with 26 and Coulter with 21. Nixa has recorded 107 aces as a team while serving at an 89.9% rate.

Through Sept. 19, the Eagles have compiled 541 kills, 447 assists, 107 service aces, 64 total blocks, and 871 digs across 46 sets. Nixa is averaging 11.8 kills, 9.7 assists, 2.3 aces, 1.4 blocks, and 18.9 digs per set.

Nixa continues its schedule on Sept. 22 against Carthage before traveling to Republic on Sept. 24. The Eagles then head to St. Dominic on Sept. 26 for matches against St. Dominic, Jackson, and Lafayette before returning home to face Neosho on Sept. 30.