University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
Alabama
Women’s Volleyball Faces Alabama, UAB, and Jacksonville in Crimson Tide Invitational
08.28.2025 | Women's Volleyball
ASHEVILLE, N.C. - The UNC Asheville volleyball team heads to Tuscaloosa, Ala., this weekend to open its season in the Crimson Tide Invitational hosted by the University of Alabama. The Bulldogs will face Alabama and UAB on Friday, followed by Jacksonville on Saturday.
MATCH DETAILS
Match One
- UNC Asheville vs. Alabama
- Friday, Aug. 29, 2025
- 1:30 PM ET
- Tuscaloosa, AL
- ESPN+
- Live Stats
Named fourth in the Big South preseason poll, the Bulldogs are looking to start the season strong in Tuscaloosa. Asheville opens the season facing off against Alabama, which wrapped last season with an 11-16 conference record. This will be the first time the two teams have faced each other.
Match Two
- UNC Asheville vs. UAB
- Friday, August 29, 2025
- 4:30 PM ET
- Live Stats
This will be the first time these two teams have played since 2011. UAB holds a 3-1 record over Asheville, with Asheville's lone win being in 1995. UAB went 11-17 last season and 6-10 in the American Conference.
Match Three
- UNC Asheville vs. Jacksonville
- Saturday, August 30, 2025
- 1:30 PM ET
- Live Stats
This will be the Bulldogs' first matchup against Jacksonville since 2014. Jacksonville holds a 3-1 record over Asheville with the Bulldogs' lone win being in 1990. Jacksonville went 15-14 last season and 10-6 in the ASun Conference.
BULLDOGS LAST SEASON
- Asheville went 11-12 overall, 5-9 in Big South Conference play, 4-3 at home, 4-7 on the road, and 3-2 in neutral site action.
- In the first year of the Danielle Marante era, the Bulldogs earned a trip to the Big South Conference Championship for the first time since 2019.
- After opening the season 0-2, the Bulldogs went on to win the following seven matches. The Bulldogs' 7-2 record was the best start in program history since going 7-2 to start the 2009 season.
- Asheville earned its first conference opener win since 2019, as the Bulldogs opened league play with a 3-1 victory over Radford.
- The Bulldogs' conference opener against Radford was Asheville's first match following Helene. Asheville did not play for 23 days in the midst of Helene.
- Asheville's first match back in the Justice Center was on Nov. 1, 52 days after their last home contest. Asheville's homecoming match featured the Bulldogs defeating Charleston Southern in three sets.
- Kylie Cackovic earned First Team All-Conference honors for her efforts last season. Cackovic led the team with 288 kills (2.71 per set) and points with 324.5 (3.73 per set). She was second on the team with 26 service aces and 236 digs. She had a career-high 24 kills, 24 points, four aces, and 18 digs in Asheville's match against Gardner-Webb on Nov. 8. In 22 games, she recorded a double-double in 11 matches.
- Cackovic was named to the Big South Preseason All-Conference Team.
- Michelle Thao returns for her fifth year and has been named the Preseason Co-Libero of the Year for the Big South. Thao is the first Preseason Libero of the Year in program history, and the first preseason major award honoree for Asheville since Elif Unlu was recognized as Preseason Player of the Year in 2006. Thao transitioned to the libero position for the 2024 season, and in the role, she finished fourth in the league in digs with 440, averaging 4.89 a set. Her digs last year in a season puts her at No. 7 in program records for most digs in a season and No. 4 in program records in digs per set. Thao recorded a career-high 38 digs at Gardner-Webb on Nov. 8. Thao led the team with 31 aces and was No. 3 in the Big South with aces.
BULLDOGS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Asheville's game against Alabama on Friday will be the only game streamed on ESPN+. To stay updated with Asheville volleyball, follow the team on 𝕩.
About Women's Athletics Presenting Partner First Bank
First Bank is the banking subsidiary of First Bancorp and is headquartered in Southern Pines, North Carolina, with total assets of approximately $12.4 billion. As a state-chartered community bank, First Bank operates 118 bank branches in North Carolina and South Carolina. Since 1935, First Bank has taken a tailored approach to banking, combining best-in-class financial solutions, helpful local expertise, and technology to manage a home or business. First Bancorp's common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol "FBNC." Visit our website at www.LocalFirstBank.com. Member FDIC, Equal Housing Lender.
