CLEMSON, S.C. – Thursday, Charleston Southern opened the 2026 volleyball season on the road, traveling to Clemson for a matchup against the Tigers inside Jervey Gymnasium. The Buccaneers would fall in four sets to Clemson, dropping the opening two sets before responding with a dominant third-set performance. CSU would ultimately fall in the fourth, 25-12, 25-14, 15-25, 25-20.
The highlight of the evening would come in the third set, where the Bucs responded to a 1-9 deficit with nine consecutive points to take a 10-9 lead. CSU's offensive attack found its rhythm behind Faith Burch, who recorded three kills during the early run, while Tristin Sutton continued to distribute the ball throughout the attack. After Clemson briefly cut the lead to 12-11, Charleston Southern would pull away once again, scoring seven of the next eight points to take a 19-12 advantage. The Bucs would maintain control through the remainder of the set, eventually closing out the 25-15 victory behind a kill from true freshman Brynn Minter.
Burch would lead the Buccaneer offense throughout the evening, finishing with 14 kills on 29 attacks while committing just one error for a .448 hitting percentage. Minter would follow with 11 kills, while Sutton recorded a team-high 20 assists. Presley Morris led the CSU defensive effort with 16 digs, followed by true freshman Adeline Wieler who added 13.
The fourth set would provide one final push from the Bucs. After Clemson built a 24-15 lead, Charleston Southern would refuse to go quietly, scoring five consecutive points to cut the deficit to 24-20. Burch and Minter would each contribute kills during the late run, but Clemson would secure the final point to take the set, 25-20, and the match, 3-1.
Up Next:
Tomorrow, August 29th, Charleston Southern will take on Western Carolina at 1:00 PM during day two of the Big Orange Bash in Clemson.
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