Thursday, September 3
Charleston, S.C.
6:00 PM
The Citadel
1-3,0-0SoCon
0
vs
3
College of Charleston
2-2,0-0CAA
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Col. of Charleston | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| The Citadel | 16 | 18 | 16 | 0 |
The Citadel Drops Crosstown Matchup to College of Charleston
9/3/2026 8:14:00 PM | Volleyball
CHARLESTON, S.C. — The Citadel (1-3) faltered against crosstown rival College of Charleston (2-2) via a 3-0 (16-25, 18-25, 16-25) final mark Thursday evening inside McAlister Field House, officially closing out the opening round of the Lowcountry Volleyball Championship, a three-day round-robin tournament slated Sept. 3-5 and hosted by the Bulldogs.
Rachel Reininger led The Citadel with 10 kills and two digs, and has now registered at least 10 kills in two consecutive matches. Greta Pleuss finished with 24 assists, four digs and one kill. Megan Stone recorded team highs in both service aces (3) and digs (8), while Jordyn Sims added six kills at a .357 hitting percentage with a pair of blocks.
For College of Charleston, Julia Gnida led the Cougars with nine kills and three service aces. Jumana Martin recorded four aces and 10 digs, converting her lone attack. Caroline Noonan finished with seven kills on 11 attacks with no errors, hitting .636, and added two blocks. Helena Vukovic posted 24 assists and six digs.
"Our young kids off the bench did a really nice job. They came in and weren't intimidated by College of Charleston's size or physicality," said head coach Dave Zelenock. "That was something we were concerned about, especially because none of them had played in this type of environment before—this many people, a crosstown rival, and a team that is so much bigger and more physical. I think that's a great thing to see from our youth."
First Set | 16-25
- After the Cougars moved ahead 6-2, the Bulldogs answered with kills from Luci Lippelgoos and Reininger to pull within 6-5.
- The Bulldogs stayed within 12-11 on Mia Watson's ace and 14-12 on Pleuss' kill, but the Cougars scored six straight to go ahead 20-12.
- Reininger had two kills in a three-point answer from The Citadel to close the gap to 20-15, but a Gnida kill plus three straight aces helped CofC close out the set, 25-16.
Second Set | 18-25
- The Cougars scored the first three points, including a Gnida kill, before Reininger got the Bulldogs on the board; a Stone ace later cut the score to 5-3.
- The Cougars moved from 10-6 to 15-6 on Cole Crews' serve, getting two aces and a Gnida kill, then answered back-to-back The Citadel points with four straight secure a 19-8 edge.
- The Bulldogs put together four-point stretches to get to 19-12 and 22-16, with Sims and Stone contributing during those runs, but the Cougars reached set point on a Caroline Noonan kill before claiming the win, 25-18.
Third Set | 16-25
- Reininger and Sims had early kills as the Bulldogs stayed within 7-5, and Stone followed with an ace to make it 7-6.
- After the Cougars led 9-8, the Bulldogs scored four straight points to move ahead 12-9, good for their first lead of the day; Reininger had a kill and Lippelgoos was credited with a block during the stretch, and another Reininger kill later saw The Citadel leading via a 13-10 margin.
- The Cougars responded with seven straight points to move ahead 17-13, then used another scoring push to reach 23-14 before wrapping up the contest, 25-16.
Up next, the Bulldogs host South Carolina State on Friday, Sept. 4 at 6 p.m. at McAlister Field House in the final bout of the Lowcountry Volleyball Championship's second round. Fellow tournament participants Charleston Southern and College of Charleston meet earlier in the afternoon on Friday with first serve slated for 3 p.m.
The Lowcountry Volleyball Championship Schedule
Thursday, Sept. 3
Charleston Southern def. South Carolina State vs. Charleston Southern, 3-0
College of Charleston def. The Citadel, 3-0
Friday, Sept. 4
College of Charleston vs. Charleston Southern — 3 p.m.
South Carolina State vs. The Citadel — 6 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 5
College of Charleston vs. South Carolina State — 3 p.m.
Charleston Southern vs. The Citadel — 6 p.m.
Rachel Reininger led The Citadel with 10 kills and two digs, and has now registered at least 10 kills in two consecutive matches. Greta Pleuss finished with 24 assists, four digs and one kill. Megan Stone recorded team highs in both service aces (3) and digs (8), while Jordyn Sims added six kills at a .357 hitting percentage with a pair of blocks.
For College of Charleston, Julia Gnida led the Cougars with nine kills and three service aces. Jumana Martin recorded four aces and 10 digs, converting her lone attack. Caroline Noonan finished with seven kills on 11 attacks with no errors, hitting .636, and added two blocks. Helena Vukovic posted 24 assists and six digs.
"Our young kids off the bench did a really nice job. They came in and weren't intimidated by College of Charleston's size or physicality," said head coach Dave Zelenock. "That was something we were concerned about, especially because none of them had played in this type of environment before—this many people, a crosstown rival, and a team that is so much bigger and more physical. I think that's a great thing to see from our youth."
First Set | 16-25
- After the Cougars moved ahead 6-2, the Bulldogs answered with kills from Luci Lippelgoos and Reininger to pull within 6-5.
- The Bulldogs stayed within 12-11 on Mia Watson's ace and 14-12 on Pleuss' kill, but the Cougars scored six straight to go ahead 20-12.
- Reininger had two kills in a three-point answer from The Citadel to close the gap to 20-15, but a Gnida kill plus three straight aces helped CofC close out the set, 25-16.
Second Set | 18-25
- The Cougars scored the first three points, including a Gnida kill, before Reininger got the Bulldogs on the board; a Stone ace later cut the score to 5-3.
- The Cougars moved from 10-6 to 15-6 on Cole Crews' serve, getting two aces and a Gnida kill, then answered back-to-back The Citadel points with four straight secure a 19-8 edge.
- The Bulldogs put together four-point stretches to get to 19-12 and 22-16, with Sims and Stone contributing during those runs, but the Cougars reached set point on a Caroline Noonan kill before claiming the win, 25-18.
Third Set | 16-25
- Reininger and Sims had early kills as the Bulldogs stayed within 7-5, and Stone followed with an ace to make it 7-6.
- After the Cougars led 9-8, the Bulldogs scored four straight points to move ahead 12-9, good for their first lead of the day; Reininger had a kill and Lippelgoos was credited with a block during the stretch, and another Reininger kill later saw The Citadel leading via a 13-10 margin.
- The Cougars responded with seven straight points to move ahead 17-13, then used another scoring push to reach 23-14 before wrapping up the contest, 25-16.
That rally had EVERYTHING!!!#BattleReady pic.twitter.com/6XgZFAeoUd
— The Citadel Volleyball (@CitadelVB) September 3, 2026
DENIED! 🚫#BattleReady pic.twitter.com/6s1KE1JHVu
— The Citadel Volleyball (@CitadelVB) September 3, 2026
Up next, the Bulldogs host South Carolina State on Friday, Sept. 4 at 6 p.m. at McAlister Field House in the final bout of the Lowcountry Volleyball Championship's second round. Fellow tournament participants Charleston Southern and College of Charleston meet earlier in the afternoon on Friday with first serve slated for 3 p.m.
The Lowcountry Volleyball Championship Schedule
Thursday, Sept. 3
Charleston Southern def. South Carolina State vs. Charleston Southern, 3-0
College of Charleston def. The Citadel, 3-0
Friday, Sept. 4
College of Charleston vs. Charleston Southern — 3 p.m.
South Carolina State vs. The Citadel — 6 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 5
College of Charleston vs. South Carolina State — 3 p.m.
Charleston Southern vs. The Citadel — 6 p.m.
Food Drive
The Citadel will partner with the Lowcountry Food Bank during the Lowcountry Volleyball Championship, Sept. 3-5, to help support the fight against hunger in the Charleston community. Fans are encouraged to bring five canned food items to McAlister Field House each day of the tournament to support the food drive.
-- #BattleReady --
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
OH / OPP
/ Volleyball
L
/ Volleyball
L
/ VolleyballTeam Stats
CC
Cit
Kills
37
27
Errors
13
20
Attempts
88
87
Hitting %
.273
.080
Points
53.0
40.0
Assists
35
27
Aces
10
7
Blocks
6
6
Game Leaders
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
5
Aces
1
Blocks
0
Kills
2
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Tuesday, December 07
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Wednesday, November 17
