WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — The Carolina University Women's Volleyball team officially opened its 2026 season Friday, August 21, with a pair of matches inside Williams Gymnasium.
The Bruins were originally scheduled to travel to Kingsport, Tennessee, to compete in the Milligan Mountain Madness hosted by Milligan University. Due to the tragedy that struck the Milligan community, the tournament was relocated to Carolina University and played as the Carolina Classic.
Carolina opened the day against Bryan College before returning to the court for the nightcap against Ave Maria University.
"We are incredibly grateful for everyone who worked together to make this weekend possible under very difficult circumstances," Head Coach Chelsea Jones said. "Our thoughts continue to be with the entire Milligan community. From a volleyball standpoint, today gave us an opportunity to learn a lot about our team. We faced two quality opponents, and while the results weren't what we wanted, I was proud of the way our group continued to compete. We saw growth throughout the day, especially in the way we battled in the second match, and now our focus is on taking another step forward tomorrow."
Game 1: Bryan College 3, Carolina University 0
Carolina began the 2026 campaign against Bryan College, falling in three sets, 25-18, 25-19 and 25-23. The Bruins improved offensively as the match progressed and produced their best offensive output of the contest with 12 kills in the third set.
SarahElizabeth Samuels led the Carolina attack in the opener, finishing with 11 kills on 21 attempts while hitting .381. Samuels also recorded two solo blocks to finish with a team-high 13 points. Britney Comolli added eight kills, while Madison Kilgore and Rileigh Franklin contributed three kills apiece.
Syvannah Poore directed the offense with a team-high 17 assists and added two kills, four digs and a service ace. Natalia Cano recorded seven assists and an ace. Defensively, Valeria Suarez led Carolina with 10 digs, followed by Charlee Hale with nine and Emma-Grace Dubuc with eight.
As a team, Carolina finished with 30 kills, 29 assists, 48 digs, six solo blocks and two service aces.
The Bruins continued to battle throughout the match, making their strongest push in the third set. Carolina stayed within striking distance before Bryan ultimately closed out the set, 25-23, to secure the sweep.
Game 2: Ave Maria University 3, Carolina University 2
Carolina responded in its second match of the day with a five-set battle against Ave Maria University. After dropping the opening set 25-18, the Bruins answered with a 25-20 victory in the second. Ave Maria regained the advantage with a 25-15 third-set win, but Carolina forced a decisive fifth set by taking the fourth, 25-19.
The Gyrenes ultimately prevailed in the fifth, 15-11, handing Carolina a 3-2 setback and moving the Bruins to 0-2 on the young season.
Britney Comolli powered the Bruins offensively with 14 kills on 29 attacks and a .345 hitting percentage. Madison Kilgore contributed seven kills, 12 digs, two service aces and 10.5 points, while SarahElizabeth Samuels finished with eight kills. Kennedy Dobard added four kills on 10 attempts and two block assists.
Syvannah Poore turned in an all-around performance with 15 assists, three kills, two service aces and seven digs, while Natalia Cano added 10 assists and two aces. Charlee Hale anchored the back row with a match-high 29 digs for Carolina. Madison Kilgore followed with 12 digs, while Valeria Suarez collected nine.
The Bruins totaled 39 kills, 36 assists, 80 digs and six service aces in the five-set match. Carolina's offense was at its best late, hitting .200 in the fourth set and .273 in the fifth.
Despite coming up short, Carolina's response after the opening match provided a positive finish to the first day of competition as the Bruins pushed an unbeaten Ave Maria squad to five sets.
Up Next
Carolina University will conclude play in the Carolina Classic on Saturday, August 22, with two more matches inside Williams Gymnasium.
The Bruins will face Spartanburg Methodist College at 12 p.m. before closing the weekend against Blue Mountain Christian University at 5 p.m.
Carolina enters Saturday looking to build on Friday's five-set performance and earn its first victory of the 2026 season.
