CHARLESTON – Saturday afternoon, Charleston Southern would host a neighboring Charleston-area program, The Citadel Bulldogs, for the finale of the 2025 Buc Dome Invitational.

Ahead of Saturday's match-up, Charleston Southern and The Citadel had played one another on the volleyball court 31 times, 22 of those matches being victories for the Buccaneers. Currently a Citadel Bulldog Outside Hitter, Savannah Freeman has played in the now 32-match series on three occasions  (2022, 2023, 2025), although she has not been in the Bulldog uniform for all three battles. After graduating from Charleston Southern in December of 2024, Freeman announced she would be using her final year of college volleyball eligibility roughly 17 miles down the road with The Citadel. Before Saturday's match began, Freeman was welcomed back to the gym she called home for many years with flowers and a card from Buccaneer Head Coach Carry Brown.

The match's first set would feature 21 ties or lead changes, a competitive trend that would never fade through the contest's eventual four sets. A kill by sophomore, Kylee Roberts would tie the set at 19, starting a four-point run for CSU (22-19) who eventually won the set 25-22.

The Bulldogs would jump out to a 4-1 lead to begin set number two, and although the Bucs would regain the lead heading into the media time-out (15-14), they'd drop the set to the visiting team by only two points (23-25). Buccaneer team captain Emily Struckmeyer's efficient offensive attack kept CSU in contention as the Lowell, Michigan native tallied 6 kills on a .500 hitting percentage in the match's second set.

Set number three was simply the set of runs. The period began with a Citadel 5-point string, giving them a two-point lead (7-5). CSU would later answer that with a five-point stretch of their own (13-8). The Bulldogs would quickly respond with the third, five-point run of the set, tying the match at 14. Luckily for Head Coach Carry Brown's VolleyBucs, the final run of the period would belong to them - another five-point (including two kills by freshman Emersyn Reiter) scoring run would seal the set 25-20.

The visiting Bulldogs would not go out lightly as heading into the fourth set's media time-out they'd lead the Buccaneers 15-9. That scoring margin would grow to eight after a kill by The Citadel's Sam Barnes. Down 14-20, seven straight CSU points (the largest run of the match), would change the momentum of the entire building. Kills by Emily Struckmeyer and Sophia Kluska would secure the win as Charleston Southern would pick up their 23rd all-time victory over the cross-town Bulldogs.
 

Notables:

• Presley Morris would record a career-high, 29 digs and her 300th career dig during Saturday's match.

• Morris also led the Buc Dome Invitational event in digs (53) and finished 2nd in reception percentage (.977).

• After only tallying 1 kill during her freshman season (2024), Kylee Roberts would pick up 5 kills on only 6 attempts Saturday afternoon.

• Emily Struckmeyer would lead the Bucs in the kill column (13) while also adding 5 total blocks.

• Tristin Sutton recorded a double-double on her birthday with 24 assists and 15 digs.

• Sutton would also move into the Top-20 in CSU volleyball history in the Career Assist category (280).

• Sophia Kluska recorded her 200th career kill.

• Faith Burch reached double-figures in the kill column (11) against the Bulldogs, with a 0.296 attacking percentage.

• True freshman Emersyn Reiter made her college volleyball debut, recording 5 kills and 4 total blocks.

After going 2-1 in the event, Charleston Southern was awarded two selections on the 2025 All-Buc Dome Invitational Team. Head Coach Carry Brown and her staff selected Emily Struckmeyer and Presley Morris as the two CSU representatives on the list. When asked what went into her decision, Brown commented,

"Presley delivered the strongest performance of her college career yet. Her defense was rock-solid… her attention to detail set her apart this weekend and undoubtedly kept us in the game during some of its' most critical moments."

Regarding Struckmeyer's selection, Brown added,

"Emily had an outstanding weekend. She is always ready to attack and adapt to any set given to her. Her leadership shines both vocally and through her actions… I'm proud of all 17 of my girls this weekend – they showed heart, grit, and teamwork."

Starting Libero, Presley Morris echoed her head coach's remark about being proud across the board after the team's first weekend of regular season competition.

"I am so proud of every single person on this team," said Morris. "Executing the things we have been working on has led to our team chemistry being on fire."

2025 All-Buc Dome Invitational Team:

Savannah Freeman | The Citadel | Outside Hitter

Addie Huber | Loyola Maryland | Defensive Specialist/Libero

Presley Morris | Charleston Southern | Defensive Specialist/Libero

Morgan Ostrowski | IU Indy | Middle Blocker

Emily Struckmeyer | Charleston Southern | Middle Blocker

Jillian Tippmann | IU Indy | Opposite (Tournament MVP)

Up Next:

Charleston Southern will head out west next weekend to participate in the 2025 Utah Tech Tournament. The Bucs will play Weber State (2 PM EST) and Utah Tech (8 PM EST) on Friday, September 5th, followed by a September 6th match-up at Southern Utah (3 PM EST).

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