University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
10-17,7-7Big South
USC Upstate
14-13,7-7Big South
Bulldogs Secure No. 4 Seed in Conference Tournament with Sweep Over Upstate
11.14.2025 | Women's Volleyball
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The UNC Asheville volleyball team closed out its regular season on Friday (Nov. 14) with a sweep (25-23, 25-22, 25-20) over USC Upstate in the G.B. Hodge Center.
INGLES I-26 RIVALRY
With Friday night's victory, the Bulldogs swept USC Upstate during the regular season, picking up six crucial points in the Ingles I-26 Rivalry. Asheville finishes the fall season leading the rivalry 12-6.
MATCH RECAP
The opening set saw seven ties as both teams traded points early. Asheville broke a 17–17 tie with a key 5–0 run, starting with a kill from Kylie Cackovic and followed by four Upstate attack errors, three coming off Bulldog blocks. Kimberly Williams had a solo block and then assisted Ana Djurovic and Avery Loeback. Upstate cut Asheville's lead down to one, but the Bulldogs took advantage of an attack error from the Spartans to take the first set 25–23.
The Bulldogs had a .152 attack percentage compared to Upstate's .091 in the opening set, with Albertine van der Goot leading the Bulldogs with six kills. Asheville also finished with five total blocks.
Set two mirrored the first, with six ties with the final tie, being deep in the set at 21. Avery Schwieger subbed into the match and helped push the Bulldogs ahead with two service aces and Asheville took advantage of a Spartan attack error to move ahead 24-21. A kill from van der Goot secured the 25-22 win for the Bulldogs, and Asheville moved ahead 2-0.
Both teams increased their hitting percentage in the second frame with Asheville hitting .350 and Upstate hitting .303.
The Bulldogs carried that momentum into the third, racing out to a 9–1 lead behind Herlehy's serving run, which included three consecutive aces. Upstate cut the deficit to four, but Asheville remained steady, and van der Goot put down the final kill to secure the 25–20 sweep. The Bulldogs had a .233 attack percentage while Upstate had a .158.
IN THE BOX
Asheville (now 10–17, 7–7 Big South) hit .240 as a team and posted 47 kills. USC Upstate (14–13, 7–7 Big South) was held to a .174 hitting percentage as the Bulldogs' block and back-row defense came up with timely stops throughout the match.
Albertine van der Goot led the Bulldogs with an efficient 12 kills on .667 hitting, adding three blocks as Asheville controlled the middle. Kylie Cackovic followed with 13 kills and eight digs, while Ana Djurovic added 10 kills and eight digs, giving Asheville three hitters in double figures.
Payton Rolfsen paced the offense with 21 assists, while Selina Koc had 16 assists and contributed eight digs and an ace. Michelle Thao anchored the back row with a team-high 15 digs. Asheville also tallied seven service aces, including three from Baylor Herlehy, who added five kills and three blocks in a strong all-around performance.
CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT SEEDING
UNC Asheville and USC Upstate tied for fourth-place in the Big South at 7-7, and the Bulldogs clinched the No. 4 seed with their 2-0 season sweep of the Spartans to push Upstate into the fifth seed. The 2025 Big South Volleyball Championship begins Friday, Nov. 21, with No. 4 UNC Asheville vs. No. 5 USC Upstate in the opening match at 3:00pm. The winner of that match will go on to face No. 1 Winthrop on Saturday, Nov. 22, at 3:00pm.
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