University of South Carolina Upstate Athletics
2-1,0-0Big South
St. John's
2-1,0-0Big East
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. John's (NY) | 25 | 25 | 14 | 25 | 3 |
| USC Upstate | 18 | 16 | 25 | 15 | 1 |
Volleyball Falls to St. John's in Final Day of Quest for the Crown
8/29/2026 2:33:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
NORFOLK, Va. – USC Upstate volleyball closed its weekend at The Quest for the Crown Saturday, battling St. John's before falling in four sets, 3-1, at the ODU Volleyball Center.
The Red Storm claimed the opening two sets, 25-18 and 25-16, before the Spartans answered with their strongest set of the afternoon. Upstate hit .517 in the third set and rolled to a 25-14 victory to extend the match. St. John's responded in the fourth, taking the deciding frame 25-15.
Summer Kohler led the Upstate attack with 14 kills, while Kensley Haneline joined her in double figures with 10 kills on a .333 hitting percentage. Haneline also made an impact at the net, recording a solo block and three block assists. Morgan Powell added nine kills while hitting .389 across three sets, and Savannah Page finished with six kills and five block assists.
Running the Spartan offense, Kamyla Vega David dished out a team-high 35 assists and added four digs. Defensively, Sophia Overholt led all Spartans with 17 digs and accounted for all three of Upstate's service aces. Kohler also added six digs.
After St. John's grabbed the first two sets, Upstate responded in the third. The Spartans registered 16 kills against just one attacking error on 29 swings, good for a .517 hitting percentage. With Upstate holding a narrow 15-14 advantage, the Spartans closed the set on a dominant 10-0 run. Powell supplied three kills during the closing stretch, while Page and Tien Murray teamed up for consecutive blocks before a St. John's attack error secured the 25-14 victory.
The fourth set remained tight early, with Upstate battling back from a 7-4 deficit to even the score at 7-7 behind a Haneline-Garrison block and a pair of St. John's attacking errors. The Red Storm responded, however, using a 9-4 stretch to create separation at 16-11 before eventually closing out the match, 25-15.
As a team, USC Upstate finished with 49 kills, 41 assists, 41 digs, nine total blocks and three service aces. The Spartans hit .187 for the match while holding a 9-7 advantage in total team blocks. St. John's finished with 57 kills and a .317 hitting percentage.
Notable
- Kohler led Upstate with 14 kills, her second double-digit kill performance of the weekend.
- Haneline totaled 10 kills and four blocks, finishing with 12.5 points.
- Powell hit a team-best .389, recording nine kills on 18 attacks.
- Overholt collected a match-high 17 digs while serving all three of Upstate's aces.
- Vega David handed out 35 assists, accounting for 35 of the Spartans' 41 assists.
- Upstate's .517 hitting percentage in the third set was its best attacking set of the match.
- The Spartans outblocked St. John's 9-7 despite the four-set defeat.
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