CHARLESTON, S.C. - Charleston Southern, facing the top team in the Southern Conference Tuesday, Oct. 26, fell to city rival College of Charleston, 3-0 (25-18, 25-14, 25-19) at CSU Field House. CSU is now 10-16 on the season, while CofC improves to 21-5, winning its seventh match in a row.

CSU held its annual Dig for the Cure match Tuesday, wearing pink warmup shirts while raising funds for breast cancer awareness. A crowd of 519 attended to support the team in its cause.

The Cougars held a marked advantage at the net, hitting .264 with 43 kills and holding the Lady Bucs to 29 kills and a .066 attack percentage. CofC finished with 43 digs to CSU's 40. The Lady Bucs posted eight blocks as a team to six for College of Charleston.

Cori Holeman led the way for the home club, registering nine kills and four block assists while hitting .269. Amy Nokes recorded four blocks and Amberle Trinder added three rejections. In addition, Nokes posted 24 assists.

Amanda Hill registered seven kills and 13 digs on the evening, moving into fourth place all-time in Big South history with 1,780 career kills.

College of Charleston was led by Whitney Russell, who accounted for a match-high 11 kills. Cole Dawley collected 15 digs in addition to 26 assists for a double-double, while Sarah Havel had four blocks.

The Cougars took a quick 5-2 lead, with CSU responding to tie it at 5-all after kills by Hill and Holeman. A 6-1 CofC rally gave the visitors an 11-6 advantage. Kayla Klinger then earned a kill, and Emily Libertowski earned an ace during a 3-0 run to slice the deficit to two points at 11-9. A 7-2 Cougars rally stymied the comeback attempt, as the visitors won set one, 25-18.

College of Charleston posted its best hitting performance of the match during set two, with 15 kills at a .364 pace. The Cougars bolted out to a 10-2 advantage. A pair of Holeman kills followed by two CofC attack errors brought the Lady Bucs to within four points at 10-6. CofC pulled away for a 25-14 victory in the middle frame. Russell excelled during set two, with six kills.

The Lady Bucs benefitted found an early rhythm in the third set, gaining a 7-5 lead after a kill from Hill. College of Charleston scored the ensuing four points and led, 9-7, before kills by Klinger and Holeman tied the set at 9-all. The Cougars again staged a 4-0 rally, which was stopped by a Nokes-Holeman block to make it 13-10. CSU stayed within striking distance at 19-16, receiving kills from Nokes, Hill and Holeman. The Cougars clinched the match with a late rally, winning set three, 25-19.

CSU continues its three-match homestand Friday, Oct. 29, facing Big South-leading Liberty at 7 p.m. at CSU Field House. College of Charleston plays host to Appalachian State Saturday at 2 p.m.