University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
13-4,1-0Big South
USC Upstate
7-5,0-1Big South
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNC Asheville | 23 | 25 | 25 | 19 | 15 | 3 |
| USC Upstate | 25 | 23 | 21 | 25 | 10 | 2 |
Bulldogs Open Big South Play with Five-Set Victory Over USC Upstate
09.25.2026 | Women's Volleyball
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – UNC Asheville volleyball opened Big South Conference play in dramatic fashion Friday night, defeating USC Upstate in five sets (23-25, 25-23, 25-21, 19-25, 15-10) inside the G.B. Hodge Center.
Friday's match marked the first matchup between Asheville and Upstate in the Ingles I-26 Rivalry, and with the Bulldogs' victory, Asheville moved ahead 3-0 in the overall competition.
Asheville finished the night with 69 kills while hitting .263 as a team, adding 14 service aces, 78 digs and eight total blocks.
Sarah Wadsworth led the Bulldog attack with 21 kills on a .315 hitting percentage, tying her career high in kills. She also added five service aces, six digs and two blocks for a match-high 27 points.
Lydia Pate turned in one of Asheville's most efficient offensive performances of the night, finishing with 11 kills and no errors on 19 attacks for a .579 hitting percentage. She also added three blocks. Albertine van der Goot joined Pate in double figures with 11 kills, while Cadence Nichols finished with nine kills on 13 swings for a .538 hitting percentage and a team-high five blocks.
Addie Brookbank recorded a double-double with 15 kills and 17 digs, while Izzy Perkins led the Bulldogs defensively with a career-high 24 digs. Perkins also dished out a career-high 11 assists and added two service aces. Olivia Callipo finished with 30 assists, 16 digs and four aces, with the 16 digs setting a career high and the four aces tying her career best. Elise Jensen split setter duties and recorded 26 assists and eight digs.
The Spartans jumped ahead early in the opening set and built a seven-point advantage at 16-9 before Asheville battled back. Trailing 21-16, the Bulldogs rattled off six consecutive points behind kills from Wadsworth, a pair of Perkins service aces and a block from Pate to take a 22-21 lead. The teams traded points before USC Upstate scored the final three points to take the opener 25-23.
The second frame featured eight ties and four lead changes. Asheville trailed 23-21 late before Wadsworth sparked a four-point run to close the set. A Wadsworth kill brought the Bulldogs within one before she followed with a service ace to tie the frame at 23. Brookbank pushed Asheville in front with a kill, and Wadsworth closed the set with another ace for the 25-23 victory.
Asheville never trailed in the third set, as the Bulldogs jumped out to an 11-6 advantage. Upstate chipped away at Asheville's lead and eventually tied the score at 18. The Bulldogs responded by scoring three straight, highlighted by a Wadsworth kill, Callipo service ace and van der Goot kill, to move ahead 21-18. Pate added two kills down the stretch as Asheville took the set 25-21 and grabbed a 2-1 lead in the match.
USC Upstate answered in the fourth. After a tightly contested opening that featured 11 ties, the Spartans broke away from a 14-14 deadlock and eventually stretched their advantage to six before forcing a deciding fifth set with a 25-19 win.
The Bulldogs entered their fourth five-set match of the season. Asheville scored the first two points of the deciding frame before Upstate tied the score at two and again at four. The Spartans moved ahead 5-4, but the Bulldogs responded and the teams continued to trade points, with the score tied again at six, seven and eventually 10.
Knotted at 10, Asheville took complete control. Pate put the Bulldogs back in front with a kill before Wadsworth took over, recording four consecutive kills to close the match and send Asheville to a 15-10 victory.
With Friday's win, the Bulldogs begin Big South action 1-0 and improve to 13-4 overall.
The Bulldogs are back in action on Friday, Oct. 2, as they host Radford at 6 p.m. before welcoming High Point to the Justice Center on Saturday, Oct. 3.
