WILLIAMSBURG, Ky. — Carolina University Women's Volleyball faced a challenging three-match weekend at the University of the Cumberlands, taking on Columbia International University, Bethel University (Ind.), and the nationally ranked host Patriots on September 4-5.
The Bruins showed resilience throughout the weekend, highlighted by a five-set battle against Bethel on Saturday morning. Carolina ultimately finished the trip 0-3 and returns home with a 4-7 overall record.
Game 1: CIU 3, Carolina University 0
Carolina opened the weekend Friday evening against CIU. The Bruins battled closely in the opening set before falling 25-20, but CIU carried the momentum into the final two frames, winning 25-11 and 25-17 to complete the sweep.
Offensively, Carolina recorded 32 kills while hitting .207 as a team. SarahElizabeth Samuels led the Bruins with nine kills on a .200 hitting percentage, while Melia Coleman added five kills without an error on 10 attempts for a team-best .500 hitting percentage. Madison Kilgore contributed four kills, six digs and four assists.
Martina Rivolta turned in a strong all-around performance with 10 assists, 13 digs and an ace, while Keira Zarger handed out a team-high 11 assists. Defensively, Charlee Hale led Carolina with 16 digs, followed by Martina Rivolta's 13 and Valeria Suarez's nine.
Game 2: Bethel University (Ind.) 3, Carolina University 2
The Bruins returned to the court Saturday morning and delivered their strongest performance of the weekend in a five-set thriller against Bethel University.
Bethel claimed two tightly contested opening sets, 25-23 and 27-25, putting Carolina on the brink of defeat. The Bruins responded emphatically, taking the third set 25-21 and the fourth 25-22 to force a deciding fifth frame. Bethel ultimately prevailed 15-8 to escape with the 3-2 victory.
Carolina's offense produced 66 kills, 12 service aces and 83 digs in the five-set battle. Samuels delivered a standout performance with a match-high 22 kills while hitting .354. Kilgore added 11 kills, while Rileigh Franklin finished with 10 and Jordan Connolly contributed nine. Corinne Cutter was efficient offensively, recording seven kills without an error on 19 attempts for a .368 hitting percentage.
Martina Rivolta paced the offense with 28 assists while also collecting a team-high 22 digs and four service aces. Keira Zarger added 21 assists, while Valeria Suarez served a match-high five aces and collected 11 digs. Charlee Hale recorded 18 digs, and Emma-Grace Dubuc added 12.
After hitting .171 in each of the opening two sets, Carolina raised its efficiency to .279 in the third and .286 in the fourth during its comeback effort.
Game 3: Cumberlands 3, Carolina University 0
Carolina closed the weekend Saturday afternoon against nationally ranked University of the Cumberlands.
The host Patriots took the opening set 25-18 before Carolina pushed Cumberlands throughout a competitive second set. The Bruins came within two points but ultimately fell 25-23. Cumberlands closed the match with a 25-9 victory in the third set to secure the sweep.
Carolina finished with 26 kills and 56 digs in the match. SarahElizabeth Samuels again led the attack with seven kills, while Franklin and Connolly each recorded five. Rileigh Franklin hit .250 with five kills on 16 attempts.
Martina Rivolta led Carolina with 11 assists and a match-high 14 digs, while Keira Zarger added seven assists and five digs. Charlee Hale contributed 11 digs, and Madison Kilgore finished with seven. Carlota Lobete recorded Carolina's lone service ace.
The Bruins' best offensive set came in the second, when they registered 12 kills and hit .211 while pushing the Patriots to a 25-23 finish.
Coach Jones on the Weekend
"This weekend gave us an opportunity to compete against some very strong teams and learn more about ourselves as a group," Head Coach Chelsea Jones said. "I was proud of the fight we showed, especially battling back from two sets down against Bethel. There are areas we know we need to continue improving, but weekends like this help prepare us for where we want to be later in the season. We are excited to get back home, get back to work and compete in front of our home crowd on Tuesday."
Up Next
Carolina University returns home on Tuesday, September 8, when the Bruins welcome the Columbia College Koalas. First serve is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
