Bulldogs Wrap Up Trojan Invitational With Four-Set Loss Against Northwestern State

Saturday, September 19

Troy, Ala. / Trojan Arena

11:30 AM

The Citadel

3-9,0-0SoCon

Northwestern State

8-6,0-0Southland

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
Northwestern St.	25	25	24	25	3
The Citadel	17	17	26	19	1

Bulldogs Wrap Up Trojan Invitational With Four-Set Loss Against Northwestern State

9/19/2026 2:20:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

By: The Citadel Athletics

TROY, Ala. — The Citadel (3-9) fell to Northwestern State (8-6) 3-1 on Saturday in the final match of the Trojan Invitational at Trojan Arena, losing 17-25, 17-25, 26-24, 19-25.

Cameron Reese led the Bulldogs with 13 kills and added a block assist. Luci Lippelgoos finished with 11 kills, two service aces, four block assists and a team-high 15 points. Allie Davison recorded 37 assists, five digs and two service aces, while Jordyn Sims tallied a team-high six total blocks and added three
kills.

For Northwestern State, Elsie Sanchez led with 16 kills and 16.5 points. Jade Longlad recorded 40 assists, three service aces and nine digs. Emmarie McFarland collected 18 digs and added three assists, while Amber Craig finished with six kills and five total blocks.

"Our young players did exactly what we expected of them. They came in and provided a ton of energy and grit," said head coach Dave Zelenock. "They also made some of the mistakes you expect from young players, but that comes with gaining experience. The future of this program is in good hands when you see the way our young players compete."

First Set | 17-25
·       Reese and Sims delivered early kills to keep the Bulldogs even at 2-2, but the Demons won the next four points to take a 6-2 lead.
·       Reese stopped the run with a kill before Northwestern State answered with eight straight points. Longlad served the final seven points of the stretch and recorded three aces as the Demons built a 14-3 advantage.
·       The Bulldogs won six of eight points midway through the set, using kills from Emma Pastusic and Reese around a Samantha Weise block to cut the deficit to 17-11.
·       Northwestern State pushed its lead to 23-14. Late points from Lippelgoos, Pastusic and Davison followed before Kenadii Winfrey closed the set with a kill for a 25-17 Demons win.

Second Set | 17-25
·       After Northwestern State jumped ahead 4-1, the Bulldogs rallied behind a Lippelgoos-Sims block and kills from Davison and Reese to take a 6-5 lead.
·       The Citadel later built an 11-8 advantage, but the Demons responded with six straight points to take a 14-11 lead.
·       Pastusic answered with a kill before Weise and Sims teamed for a block to pull the Bulldogs within 14-13. Northwestern State responded with four consecutive points to extend its lead to 18-13.
·       Sims and Lippelgoos provided late kills for the Bulldogs, but Winfrey recorded back-to-back kills to close out the set, 25-17.

Third Set | 26-24
·       The Bulldogs jumped out to a 10-5 lead behind early kills from Lippelgoos, Reese and Weise, along with consecutive service aces from Lippelgoos.
·       Northwestern State erased a 17-13 deficit with five straight points to take an 18-17 lead, but kills from Lippelgoos and Rachel Reininger put the Bulldogs back in front, 19-18.
·       The Demons later held a 23-21 advantage before The Citadel scored three straight points to take a 24-23 lead.
·       After Northwestern State tied the set at 24, Elizabeth Miller delivered a kill off an assist from Davison before Reese and Lippelgoos combined for the set-clinching block to secure the 26-24 win.

Fourth Set | 19-25
·       Jess Martin served consecutive aces early in the set, while Reese and Lippelgoos' kills helped the Bulldogs take a 7-5 lead.
·       Northwestern State responded with four straight points to take a 9-7 lead before the Bulldogs pulled even at 11-11 on a Demons attack error.
·       The Demons won five of the next six points to build a 16-12 advantage, with Sanchez recording three kills during the stretch.
·       The Bulldogs pulled within 22-18 on a Northwestern State service error and a Davison ace, but the Demons closed out the set, 25-19, to secure the match.

Up Next
The Bulldogs open Southern Conference play at Mercer on Friday, Sept. 25, at 6 p.m. inside Hawkins Arena in Macon, Georgia.

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