CHARLESTON, S.C. – Charleston Southern volleyball plays its first conference road matches of the season this weekend when it plays at Gardner-Webb and Winthrop.
 
The Bucs will square off against the Runnin' Bulldogs Friday at 6 p.m. and play the Eagles Saturday at 2 p.m. Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+.
 
Peyton Thompson recorded a career-high 26 kills along with 16 digs in CSU's last match, a five-set win over Hampton. Four different Bucs had double-digit kills in the win, while Emma Minnick had 47 assists and career-high 24 digs. CSU rallied in that match against Hampton, taking the last six points of the fourth set and claiming the deciding set for a 3-2 win.
 
Thompson leads the Bucs with 139 kills, while Paige Reagor has 100 on a team-leading .350 hitting percentage. Indigo Young, Dayana Chara and Gabrielle Naniseni each have more than 50 kills for a balanced CSU attack. Ashleigh Holweger leads the Bucs with 158 digs, while Minnick has 347 assists and 8.68 assists per set, both marks that rank second in the conference.
 
This Week's Scouting Report
Gardner-Webb – Friday, Oct. 1 at 6 p.m.
2020-21 Record: 4-8, 1-1 Big South
Gardner-Webb enters the weekend at 4-8 overall and 1-1 in Big South play. The Runnin' Bulldogs split their first two conference contests of the season, sweeping Radford and being swept by Winthrop.
 
Hannah Donaldson leads the Runnin' Bulldogs with 85 kills, while Kylee Garrison has 84. Lauryn Rocassin has a team-leading 206 assists, while Tori Weatherly has 165. Mikah McIntosh leads GWU with 186 digs.
 
GWU and CSU split last season's contests, with both taking place in Boiling Springs. The Runnin' Bulldogs took the first match in three sets, while the Bucs rebounded with a four-set win in the second match.
 
Winthrop – Saturday, Oct. 2 at 2 p.m.
2020-21 Record: 7-5, 2-0 Big South
Winthrop enters the weekend at 7-5 overall and 2-0 in Big South play. The Eagles swept both Radford and Gardner-Webb in their opening weekend of conference play and boast wins over the likes of Charlotte and Virginia this season.
 
Morgan Bossler leads the Eagles in kills with 114 and is one of three Winthrop players with more than 100 kills this season. Nikkia Benitez has 109 kills for the Eagles, while Brookelynn Thomas has 108. Jana Owens leads the Big South with 350 assists and 10.94 assists per set, while four different Eagles have over 100 digs this season.
 
Charleston Southern swept Winthrop in the two matches last season, with both being played in the Lowcountry. The Bucs dropped just one set across the two matches against the Eagles.
 
Up Next
The Bucs close their three-match road trip Tuesday evening at Presbyterian.