University of South Carolina Upstate Athletics
7-5,0-1Big South
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UNC Asheville
13-4,1-0Big South
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNC Asheville | 23 | 25 | 25 | 19 | 15 | 3 |
| USC Upstate | 25 | 23 | 21 | 25 | 10 | 2 |
Volleyball Unable to Complete Comeback, Losing to Asheville in 5 Sets
9/25/2026 9:13:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – USC Upstate volleyball battled through five sets in its Big South Conference opener Friday evening at the G.B. Hodge Center, ultimately falling 3-2 to UNC Asheville. The Spartans claimed the opening and fourth sets before the Bulldogs closed the match with a 15-10 victory in the deciding frame. Upstate moved to 7-5 overall and 0-1 in Big South play following the setback.
The Spartans opened the night with one of their strongest offensive sets, hitting .333 behind 14 kills and just one attacking error. After falling behind 2-0 to begin the match, Upstate responded with an 8-1 run to grab control. Asheville eventually erased the advantage and pulled even at 21, but Upstate answered when it mattered most. Summer Kohler delivered consecutive kills to give the Spartans set point before Kensley Haneline finished off the 25-23 opening-set victory.
A tightly contested second set featured eight ties and four lead changes. Upstate trailed 17-13 before putting together a 6-0 run highlighted by a kill from Tehillah Garrison and an ace from Hannah Campbell to move ahead 19-17. The Spartans later held a 23-21 advantage, but Asheville scored the final four points of the frame to take the set, 25-23, and even the match.
The Bulldogs carried the momentum into the third set, building an early advantage before Upstate worked its way back into the frame. The Spartans erased a five-point deficit to tie the score at 12 and continued battling throughout the set, pulling even again at 18. Asheville responded down the stretch, however, taking seven of the final 10 points for a 25-21 win and a 2-1 match advantage.
Facing elimination, Upstate responded in the fourth. The teams traded points throughout the opening half of the frame before the Spartans created separation with a 4-0 run that turned a 15-15 tie into a 19-15 lead. Haneline was instrumental during the stretch, recording a kill and combining with Sophia Spivey for a block. Upstate maintained control from there as kills from Haneline, Kohler and Savannah Page helped push the Spartans to set point. An Asheville attack error finished the 25-19 victory and forced a fifth set.
The deciding frame remained even throughout the early stages. Upstate overcame an early 4-2 deficit and moved ahead 6-4 behind a Kohler kill and a Page block. Neither side could create separation as the teams battled to ties at 7-7, 8-8, 9-9 and 10-10. Asheville broke the deadlock from there, scoring the match's final five points to secure the 15-10 set and the 3-2 victory.
Kohler paced the Spartan offense with a team-high 16 kills while adding six digs. Haneline and Spivey each finished with 10 kills, with Spivey hitting .348 for the match. Haneline also led the Upstate block with five block assists, while Page contributed seven kills and four total blocks. Tien Murray hit a team-best .400 with five kills on 10 attempts while also recording three service aces.
Sarah O'Connor directed the offense with 27 assists and added 10 digs, while Kamyla Vega David recorded 17 assists and 13 digs. Sophia Overholt and Vega David shared the team lead with 13 digs apiece. Campbell joined Murray with three service aces, giving the Spartans six aces for the match.
As a team, Upstate totaled 53 kills while hitting .228, adding 76 digs, six service aces and eight total blocks. The Spartans were particularly effective offensively in the first and fourth sets, hitting .333 and .273, respectively. Asheville finished with 69 kills on a .263 hitting percentage and held a 78-76 edge in digs.
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