University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
7-1,0-0Big South
North Carolina Central
2-3,0-0MEAC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNC Asheville | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| N.C. Central | 16 | 13 | 20 | 0 |
Bulldogs Sweep North Carolina Central for Sixth Consecutive Victory
09.08.2026 | Women's Volleyball
DURHAM, N.C. – The UNC Asheville volleyball team continued its strong start to the 2026 season Tuesday evening, defeating North Carolina Central in straight sets, 25-16, 25-13, 25-20, inside McDougald-McLendon Arena.
Tuesday's victory marked Asheville's fourth consecutive sweep and extended the Bulldogs' winning streak to six matches. Asheville improved to 7-1 on the season, continuing its best start to a season since 1995. The Bulldogs have now earned five of their seven victories in straight sets.
Asheville turned in one of its most efficient offensive performances of the young season, finishing with 39 kills and just six attack errors on 93 attempts for a .355 hitting percentage. The Bulldogs also controlled the service line with 12 aces, while adding 44 digs and six total blocks. N.C. Central finished the match hitting .202 with 31 kills.
Sarah Wadsworth led Asheville offensively with 11 kills and just one error on 24 swings for a .417 hitting percentage. She added two service aces and five digs. Lydia Pate was nearly flawless on the attack, recording nine kills without an error on 14 attempts for a match-high .643 hitting percentage. Pate also contributed two solo blocks and a service ace. Addie Brookbank added nine kills, 10 digs and two aces.
Asheville's setters split the offensive workload, as Elise Jensen and Olivia Callipo each dished out 15 assists. Jensen led Asheville from the service line with four aces, matching her career high, while Callipo added eight digs to establish a new career high. Jensen's four aces matched the career high she set against Seton Hall just three days earlier.
Cadence Nichols also had a career night at the net, recording two solo blocks to establish a new career high. Nichols finished with three kills on eight attempts without an attack error and was involved in three of Asheville's six team blocks.
Asheville set the tone immediately in the opening frame. After the teams were even at 4-4, the Bulldogs began to create separation and carried a 16-8 advantage into the latter portion of the set. Wadsworth paced the attack with six kills in the first frame as Asheville committed zero attack errors, hitting .333 on its way to the 25-16 victory.
The Bulldogs wasted little time establishing control in set two, jumping out to a 4-0 advantage behind kills from Wadsworth, Pate and Brookbank. Asheville stretched its lead to 15-10 before closing the frame on a 10-3 run. Pate delivered five kills in the set, while the Bulldogs hit a match-best .406 with 15 kills and only two errors to take the set 25-13.
N.C. Central provided its biggest push of the night in the third set, using a run to take a 15-8 advantage. The Bulldogs responded with Asheville scoring eight of the next nine points to pull even at 16-16, highlighted by back-to-back service aces from Wadsworth during the comeback. After N.C. Central moved back ahead 19-17, Asheville answered again, scoring eight of the final nine points of the match. Brookbank and Wadsworth delivered the final two kills to seal the 25-20 victory and Asheville's fourth straight sweep.
The Bulldogs hit the road once again this weekend as they travel to compete in the UNCW Invitational. Asheville will face Harvard at 10 a.m. on Friday (Sept. 11), followed by UNC Wilmington at 6:30 p.m. Friday evening. On Saturday (Sept. 12) Asheville will close out the tournament against Norfolk State at 11 a.m.
