Bulldogs Clipped by Murray State in Four Sets to Open Trojan Invitational

Friday, September 18

Troy, Ala. / Trojan Arena

11:30 AM

The Citadel

3-7,0-0SoCon

Murray State

2-9,0-0MVC

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
The Citadel	23	25	12	15	1
Murray St.	25	22	25	25	3

Box Score.PDF

Bulldogs Clipped by Murray State in Four Sets to Open Trojan Invitational

9/18/2026 2:23:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

By: The Citadel Athletics

TROY, Ala. — The Citadel (3-7) fell to Murray State (2-9), 3-1 in the Bulldogs' first match of the Trojan Invitational on Friday morning at Trojan Arena, with set scores of 23-25, 25-22, 12-25 and 15-25.

Rachel Reininger led the Bulldogs with 13 kills and added 11 digs for a double-double, good for her second consecutive contest with at least 13 kills. Jess Martin finished with a team-high 20 digs and added four assists. Greta Pleuss recorded 34 assists, six digs and one block assist. Emma Pastusic added 10 kills while hitting .273 and totaled two blocks, and has now reached double-digit kills in consecutive matches.

For Murray State, Anne Makowski finished with 14 kills and four service aces. Lily Burnett added 13 kills while hitting .524 and recorded five total blocks. Kathryn Titus posted 37 assists, 15 digs, four kills and three block assists, while Mija Sagadin Pristovnik added 11 kills and 12 digs.

"We had some good stretches today, especially in the first two sets, but we couldn't sustain that level throughout the match," said head coach Dave Zelenock. "I thought we competed hard and did some good things offensively, but Murray State did a nice job putting pressure on us after the break. We must learn from those stretches, clean up some of the unforced errors and be ready to respond tonight against Troy."

First Set | 23-25

The Bulldogs traded points early and moved in front 7-6 on a Pastusic kill and a Reininger service ace before Murray State answered to build a 14-12 advantage.
Luci Lippelgoos started a four-point Bulldogs run with a kill. Reininger added another kill, and Mia Watson served an ace to put The Citadel ahead 16-14.
The Bulldogs later led 22-20 and 23-22, but the Racers scored the final three points, closing the set on a Pristovnik kill.

Second Set | 25-22

Lippelgoos tied the set with a kill and followed with a service ace to give the Bulldogs a 7-6 lead.
Pastusic and Jordyn Sims added kills during the next stretch before the Bulldogs extended their advantage to 17-11 behind kills from Gwen Berry and Lippelgoos.
Murray State cut the margin to 21-20, but Pastusic and Reininger answered with kills before Elizabeth Miller put the Bulldogs at set point.
Sims finished the set with a kill off an assist from Pleuss as the Bulldogs evened the match at one set apiece.

Third Set | 12-25

The Bulldogs traded points early, using kills from Sims and Lippelgoos to tie the set at 4-4 before the Racers moved ahead 7-4.
Pastusic and Miller added kills to bring The Citadel within 9-7, but Murray State answered and later used a five-point run to extend its lead to 16-8.
Sims stopped the run with a kill, while Cameron Reese added two late kills, but the Racers remained in control and scored the final three points of the set.

Fourth Set | 15-25

The Bulldogs scored the first three points behind kills from Sims and Reininger before Murray State answered with six straight points to take a 7-4 lead.
Reininger and Miller added kills as The Citadel worked through the middle of the set, but the Racers stretched their advantage to 15-9.
Pastusic recorded a kill to make it 19-14 before Murray State won six of the final seven points to close the match.

Up Next
The Bulldogs return to action Friday evening at 7:30 p.m. against Troy inside Trojan Arena.

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