ROCK HILL, S.C. -- The Winthrop University volleyball team prepares for its conference tournament run as the overall one-seed, the first time since 2019 the Eagles have held the top seed.
Winthrop is scheduled to face the winner of the fourth-seeded UNC Asheville and fifth-seeded USC Upstate on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. in High Point, N.C. The match will be held on High Point's campus inside the Millis Athletic Center, the site of all 2025 tournament contests.
With a win, the Eagles will go on to the championship match, facing the winner of second-seeded High Point against the victor of Friday's Quarterfinal match between third-seed Charleston Southern & six-seeded Radford.
BIG SOUTH TOURNAMENT HISTORY
- Winthrop holds the top overall seed for the first time since 2019, where the Eagles went on to win their conference tournament
- Before that, the last time Winthrop was the one seed was 2011, where the Eagles and Liberty held a share of the regular season title
- Winthrop has been the tournament runner-up for the last two seasons, being downed by High Point in both
- High Point won both matches in five sets
- The last time Winthrop has won the conference tournament was in 2006, also taking the regular season title
- That 2006 win was the cap to a five-straight conference tournament winning streak
- All time, Winthrop holds a 36-30 record in the Big South Tournament
- Winthrop has six conference titles, tied for second most in Big South history and tied for the most of all active Big South members (Tied with Radford)
- Winthrop also holds the second-most championship match appearances of active Big South with twelve
- The Eagles have made the Big South postseason tournament for the last eight years
WINTHROP VERSUS... (Conference Tournament Only)
Charleston Southern: 3-3 | W1
Gardner-Webb: 1-0 | W1
High Point: 1-4 | L4
Presbyterian: 4-1 | W4
Radford: 4-9 | L4
UNC Asheville: 9-3 | W1
Current Tournament Streak: L1
Last Semifinal Appearance: 2024
FOOT NOTES
- Winthrop senior outside/opposite Avery Jolley was tabbed as the Big South Conference Player of the Year, the first Player of the Year that Winthrop has garnered since Siani Yamaguchi in 2019
- Jolley becomes the seventh Eagle all-time to earn Big South Player of the Year honors
- In addition, head coach Heather Gearhart has been named as the Big South Conference Coach of the Year, once again the first time since now Athletic Director, Chuck Rey, did so in 2019
- Gearhart became the fourth Eagle gaffer to win the award, and the sixth all-time
- Winthrop also placed five more student-athletes on the All-Conference teams, with Rachel McCollum joining Avery Jolley on the First Team All-Conference. Two more Eagles join the honors with Paige Bennett and Teagan Sychterz grabbing Second Team All-Conference. Giselle Little rounds out the All-Conference mentions with a spot to the Honorable Mention squad. Addison Torain finishes up her freshman season with a place on the All-Freshman team.
- The Eagles took its ten straight match to close the regular season, doing so in five sets against Gardner-Webb
- Winthrop has only dropped a total of seven sets during the ten-game winning streak
- Avery Jolley continues to lead the charge on offense, ranking first in the conference with 11.29 attacks per set, first in the conference in kills per set at a mark of 3.77, first in points per set, 4.29, and finally second in total attacks, 1,084
- Rachel McCollum also checks in on the conference statistics rankings, placing third in assists per set with 8.12
- Winthrop is the best team in the Big South when it comes to hitting percentage, ranking first in the conference with a 0.234 mark, kills per set with 13.61, and assists per set at a clip of 12.44.
- The Eagles have two marks that ranks in the top 50 nationally, digs per set ranking 24th in the nation at 16.39 and kills per set in 44th at 13.61
- Avery Jolley was named the final Big South Player of the Week on Monday, her fourth time winning the award this year
- The senior outside hitter turned in a monster performance Friday at Gardner-Webb, posting a career-high 30 kills, tying the program record shared by Logan Pierce (Nov. 12, 2002) and Mary Hock (Oct. 16, 2004). It marked the first 30-kill match by an Eagle in 21 years and stands as the highest single-match total in the Big South this season across both non-conference and league play
- Jolley's performance joins a list of only 51 Division I players to reach 30 kills this year and is just the second such outing in the Big South since 2019. She was at her best with the match on the line, taking over late in the fourth set as Winthrop trailed 16-13. Jolley hammered four of the next five points to swing the momentum and help the Eagles lock up a share of their first regular-season title since 2019
- Rachel McCollum also took home the final Setter of the Week award on Monday, also her fourth time on the year
- McCollum steadied Winthrop's offense throughout the weekend, guiding the Eagles to their first regular-season crown since 2019. The Redshirt junior setter paced the Big South with 45 assists, one of only 18 performances of 45 or more in the Big South this season. Her 9.00 assists per set ranked second in the conference
- Avery Jolley was named Big South Player of the Week from her efforts this past week. This marks Jolley's third time winning the weekly honor this season, doing so in the weeks of Sept. 15 and Sept. 29, and the fourth of her career
- Jolley powered the Eagles to a 2-0 week, stepping up whenever Winthrop needed a point. She led the Big South with 33 kills across the two matches and ranked second in the league with 4.63 points per set. The senior matched a conference week-high with 17 kills in Friday's four-set win over UNC Asheville, then followed with a team-best 16 kills in Saturday's victory over USC Upstate. She notched her 11th and 12th double-doubles of the season, adding 22 digs (2.75 per set) and four service aces on the week
- Paige Bennett was tabbed with Big South Player of the Week honors following 31 kills while ranking second in the Big South at 3.88 kills per set, the top mark on the team. She led all players with 17 kills in Friday's win, hitting a blistering .452, before following with 14 kills against High Point on Saturday. Bennett also contributed defensively, finishing third on the team with 23 digs (2.88 per set), and was Winthrop's most tested defender on the weekend, posting a .961 mark on 51 attempts in the back row.
- Rachel McCollum earned Setter of the Week honors for the second time in October and the third on the season as the Eagles once again operated through the steady rhythm of McCollum, who directed the offense with a Big South, best 85 assists across the two-match weekend. Her 48-assist performance against High Point marked the second-highest single-match total in the league this week, while her 10.63 assists per set average also ranked second among conference setters. McCollum nearly recorded her third triple-double of the season in that match, finishing just one kill and one dig shy of the milestone.
- Rachel McCollum earned Big South Setter of the Week honors after her second-career triple-double on Friday against USC Upstate, with a career and conference high mark of 56 assists
- Sophia Matthews earned her second career Libero of the Week honors off the back of a 31-dig performance against USC Upstate, second-high mark in conference all year
- Avery Jolley captured her second Big South Player of the Week honor (Sept. 29)
- Jolley led the Big South that week with a 20-kill performance in the conference opener against Gardner-Webb, hitting at a .400 clip
- Avery Jolley eclipsed the 1K Kills mark against High Point on Friday night
- Giselle Little showcased her elite efficiency against Gardner-Webb, setting a new program record for hitting percentage in a five-set match with a mark of .647
- Teagan Sychterz set a new program record for most blocks in a four-set match with 12 blocks against Queens on Saturday afternoon
- Sophia Matthews rounds out the top ten marks in conference ranks, with a tenth-place spot in total digs at a mark of 155
- Laila Glover reached 500 career kills against Gardner-Webb with a nine-kill effort on Friday night
- Sophia Matthews achieved 500 career digs against Western Carolina on Thursday night
- Head coach Heather Gearhart eclipsed 50 career victories with the win over Alabama State
- Isabella Murray surpassed the 3,000 career assists mark, becoming the seventh in program history to do so
- Rachel McCollum tallied the first triple-double since 2012 for the Eagles on Friday against Alabama State, 16 kills, 23 assists and 10 digs
- Avery Jolley captured Big South Player of the Week honors for the week of Sept. 15
- Jolley hit .354 with 52 kills (4.73 per set), 27 digs (2.45 per set) and 59.5 points (5.41 per set) in three matches last week, capped off by setting a career-high 24 kills against Furman on Saturday
- Rachel McCollum and Isabella Murray were tabbed Big South Setters of the Week for the week of Sept. 15
- The duo of McCollum and Murray accounted for 129 assists over the weekend -- 85 percent of the Eagles assists. McCollum amassed 72 total assists in 11 sets played, along with 32 kills and 25 digs. McCollum had a near triple-double against Furman with nine kills, 21 assists and 12 digs.
- Murray totaled 57 assists in seven sets played (8.14 per set) in her appearances against Alabama State and Furman.
- Paige Bennett totaled a career-high 21 kills against Charlotte on Aug. 30, with a .528 hitting percentage
- Winthrop opens the year as ranked as preseason number one in the 2025 Big South preseason poll
- First time atop of the Big South poll since 2007
- The Eagles returns all its top contributors in the categories of kills (Avery Jolley, 320), assists (Isabella Murray, 963), digs (Sophia Matthews, 397), and blocks (Maeve Rehmann, 58)
- 81.5% of total kills remain rostered for 2025
- 81% of total digs are back for the 2025 season
- Last year, Eagles ranked third in the nation in digs per set, 18.84
- Eagles return 10 players from last year's roster, which includes
- Seven of the top eight Eagles in sets played are back in 2025
- Isabella Murray played all 91 sets for the Eagles last year
- Murray was tabbed as the 2024 Big South Setter of the Year
- Rachel McCollum appeared in all but one set (90) for the Eagles, named to 2024 Big South All-Tournament Team
- Jolley earned First Team All-Conference honors and earned the Big South Conference Scholar Athlete of the Year (first time since Pohai Nu'uhiwa did so in 2007)
- Giselle Little showcased elite efficiency in her freshman year,144 kills on just 397 swings (.374)
- Little was listed on the Honorable Mention All-Conference and was named to the Big South All-Freshman Team
- Sophia Matthews led the Eagles in digs in her as a freshman, 397
- Matthews earned Big South All-Freshman Team and was named on the Big South All-Tournament Team
- Alyah Cadavid is fourth amongst returners in digs with 147
- Maeve Rehmann and Paige Bennett round out the standout returners on the offensive side with 116 and 112, respectfully
- The Eagles have made the Big South postseason tournament for the last seven years
- Winthrop has six conference titles, tied for second most in Big South history and tied for the most of all active Big South members (Tied with Radford)
- This is the 54th season of Eagle Volleyball, with this match being the 1857th
- Heather Gearhart enters her fourth season, one as an interim head coach and the last three as head coach
- Winthrop holds an 1107-746 record all-time (.596)
2025 HONORS
- Avery Jolley
- Big South Preseason Player of the Year
- Preseason All-Conference
- Winthrop Invitational All-Tournament Team
- Big South Player of the Week (Sept. 15)
- Furman Invitational All-Tournament Team
- Big South Player of the Week (Sept. 29)
- Big South Player of the Week (Nov. 10)
- Big South Player of the Week (Nov. 17)
- Big South Conference Player of the Year
- Big South Conference All-Conference First Team
- Isabella Murray
- Big South Preseason Setter of the Year
- Preseason All-Conference
- Big South Setter of the Week (Sept. 15)
- Sophia Matthews
- Big South Preseason Co-Libero of the Year
- Preseason All-Conference
- Big South Libero of the Week (Oct. 13)
- Giselle Little
- Preseason All-Conference
- Big South Conference All-Conference Honorable Mention
- Paige Bennett
- Winthrop Invitational All-Tournament Team
- Big South Player of the Week (Oct. 27)
- Big South Conference All-Conference Second Team
- Rachel McCollum
- Furman Invitational All-Tournament Team
- Big South Setter of the Week (Sept. 15)
- Big South Setter of the Week (Oct. 13)
- Big South Setter of the Week (Oct. 27)
- Big South Setter of the Week (Nov. 17)
- Big South Conference All-Conference First Team
- Teagan Sychterz
- Big South Conference All-Conference Second Team
- Addison Torain
- Big South Conference All-Conference All-Freshman Team
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