CHARLESTON – Friday, the Charleston Southern volleyball team opened the 2025 regular season with two home matches against the Loyola Maryland Greyhounds and IU Indy Jaguars. Both matches were part of the 2025 Buc Dome Invitational hosted by CSU. The Bucs would sweep Loyola Maryland (25-12, 25-17, 25-13) to kick off their 2025 campaign, and would fall in three sets to IU Indy (20-25, 22-25, 20-25) in match number two.

The VolleyBucs, led by Head Coach Carry Brown who is beginning her third season at CSU, started off hot against Loyola Maryland, going up 7-3 early in the first set. The early run was contributed to by several Bucs as Emma Bednarek, Sophia Kluska, and Skylar Yates all recorded kills. Another four straight points would be collected by CSU later in the set as they extended their lead to 17-7.

The second set included only one lead change. The Greyhounds got out front first and did not trail until CSU scored its 12th point. The Bucs would never look back, scoring five of the set's final six points and eventually winning 25-17.

On the back of an 8-point CSU run (20-7) in the match's third set, the Buccaneers would defeat Loyola Maryland (25-13) for their first win of the 2025 season. After the match's conclusion, Buccaneer Head Coach Carry Brown would select Defensive Specialist/Libero Presley Morris as her player of the match after a 14-dig performance.

Later on Friday, CSU would face-off against another 1-0 opponent, the IU Indy Jaguars. A match where both teams crossed the 20-point threshold in every set. Charleston Southern would begin the first set with a 4-0 start, which would eventually be their largest lead of the entire contest. The set remained tight into the mid-teens as CSU would enter the media time-out period ahead 15-14. A kill by Sophia Kluska, one of her eight in the match, would narrow the Buc-deficit to 20-23, but IU would seal the set two points later.

Set number two was the most competitive of the three, ending in a 22-25 Buccaneer loss. Service errors would plague CSU in the match's second set as the Bucs would drop eight points to IU Indy in the period. 

The match's third set featured multiple ties and lead changes, but fatigue would fade the Buccaneers' chance at a comeback as IU Indy strung together an 8-3 run to end the first day of the Buc Dome Invitational's first day.
 

Notables:

• Sophia Kluska would lead the team with 15 kills on the day, as well as collecting her 300th career dig during the match-up vs IU Indy.

• True freshman, Cara McLean dished out the first 33 assists of her college career.

• Faith Burch picked up her 300th career kill during the match vs Loyola Maryland.

• Skylar Yates recorded her 1,000th career point against IU Indy, as well as her 800th career dig and 100th career service ace in the Loyola Maryland match.

• Emma Bednarek made her debut at the NCAA Division 1 level, and after two matches, leads CSU in the attacking percentage category (0.385).
   

When asked about her reflection on day one of the 2025 season, CSU Head Coach Carry Brown expressed how she and her team will value both of Friday's contests.

"Our first match of the season provided a strong foundation for what lies ahead. What excited me most was witnessing the progress our players have made, particularly in the finer details of the game as well as their mental resilience. Although we split the matches today, I am confident that each experience will serve as a valuable learning opportunity, fueling our growth and progression as we move forward."
 

Up Next:

Charleston Southern will suit up for their third and final match of the 2025 Buc Dome Invitational on Saturday afternoon at 3:00 PM as they host another Holy City institution, The Citadel Bulldogs (0-2). The match will be broadcasted on ESPN+.

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