CHARLESTON – Charleston Southern volleyball closed out the 2026 Lowcountry Volleyball Championship with a 3-1 (23-25, 25-23, 25-23, 25-20) victory over The Citadel on Saturday night at McAlister Field House.
The Buccaneers improved to 4-2 on the season with the win, overcoming a first-set setback to claim three consecutive frames and finish the weekend with a 2-1 record at the Lowcountry Volleyball Championship.
The Citadel grabbed the early advantage in the opening set, but Charleston Southern battled throughout the frame. The Bucs trailed 22-18 before mounting a late push, scoring five of the next six points to pull even at 23-23. The Bulldogs answered with back-to-back points, however, taking the opening set 25-23.
Charleston Southern responded in the second set with a strong finish. The Bucs led 13-10 midway through the frame before The Citadel rallied to tie the score at 19-19. After another tie at 21-21, Charleston Southern scored four of the final six points, with a Faith Burch kill and a block from Burch and Dillia Lowry helping the Bucs secure a 25-23 victory and even the match.
The third set featured another back-and-forth battle, with the teams combining for three ties. Charleston Southern created separation late after The Citadel erased an 18-16 deficit and eventually tied the set at 22-22. Burch responded with a kill to give the Bucs a 23-22 lead, followed by an attack error from The Citadel and another Burch kill to close out the 25-23 win.
The Buccaneers saved their strongest offensive showing for the fourth set. After The Citadel held an 8-7 advantage early, Charleston Southern took control with a 9-2 run that turned the deficit into a 15-10 lead. The Bucs continued to apply pressure, building a 24-18 advantage before closing out the match, 25-20.
Notables:
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Faith Burch led the Bucs with 17 kills, four block assists, two aces and nine digs, finishing with a team-high 21.0 points.
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Emma Bednarek recorded a career-high, 14 kills. She also tallied five total blocks, finishing with 17.0 points.
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Tristin Sutton posted 42 assists and 10 digs, guiding Charleston Southern to 56 kills as a team.
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Brynn Minter contributed nine kills, two service aces, nine digs and two block assists.
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Presley Morris anchored the back row with a team-high 11 digs.
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Adeline Wieler added 10 digs and a service ace in the four-set victory.
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Dillia Lowry contributed six kills and three block assists, including a key block alongside Burch late in the second set.
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As a team, Charleston Southern totaled 56 kills, six aces, nine blocks and 64 digs while holding The Citadel to a .158 hitting percentage.
Up Next:
Tuesday, September 8th, Charleston Southern will take on the Duke Blue Devils at 6:00 PM for a mid-week match-up in Durham. The match will be broadcast on ESPN+.
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