Liberty University will open the 2026 Atlantic Sun Women’s Lacrosse Championship as the No. 3 seed against No. 6 seed Kennesaw State on April 27. The match is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start at Rock Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, and will be streamed live on ESPN+.
The game marks Liberty’s first step in defending its championship title, having won last year’s tournament as host with victories over Lindenwood and Coastal Carolina. The last team to win consecutive championships was Jacksonville, which did so at home in both 2022 and 2023.
The winner of Tuesday’s contest will advance to play tournament host and No. 2 seed Jacksonville in the semifinal round set for Thursday at 6 p.m. Eastern Time.
Earlier this season, Liberty defeated Kennesaw State with a score of 17-4 at home on April 11. In that game, Katie Colavito scored five goals while Sophia Nesci contributed three goals and two assists, and Ava Rajala added three goals and one assist.
This year’s ASUN Women’s Lacrosse Championship features an expanded six-team bracket due to the addition of Austin Peay and Delaware as conference members. Since joining the league in 2019, Liberty has previously competed under a six-team format only once before—in the Regular Season Champion role during the previous year.
Seven Liberty athletes were recognized in the recently announced ASUN Postseason Awards for their performances this season. Sophia Nesci was named unanimous Freshman of the Year; Katie Colavito and Madeliene Klunder made All-ASUN first team; Jenna Burrow and Ava Rajala earned spots on the second team; Nicole Arriola joined Nesci on the All-Freshman team; while six Lady Flames—Colavito, Karlie Hickson, Klunder, Rachel Hines, Kendall Nye, and Kate Troutman—were named Academic All-ASUN honorees.
Statistically this season: Ava Rajala leads Liberty with 58 points (33 assists), followed by Colavito who leads with both offensive (41 goals) and defensive (35 caused turnovers) contributions. Freshman Nesci is second on the squad with her own tally of goals (36), assists (20), and points (56). Rachel Hines ranks twelfth nationally with her total saves count this year.
As individual players approach historical program milestones—including career assists by Rajala or all-time goal rankings by Colavito—the upcoming championship offers additional opportunities for records to be broken.
