ROCK HILL, S.C, -- The Winthrop University volleyball team prevailed over the visiting Davidson Wildcats, 3-2, on Friday night at the Winthrop Coliseum to kick off the 2025 season. This is the first time since 2016 that the Eagles have beaten the Wildcats, and the first time at home since 2014.
Winthrop (1-0, 0-0 Big South) | Davidson (0-1, 0-0 Atlantic-10)
Aug. 29, 2025 | Winthrop Coliseum
Winthrop 3, Davidson 2 (22-25, 25-23, 20-25, 25-19, 15-8)
Top Performers
Kills –
Avery Jolley (13),
Laila Glover (9),
Teagan Sychterz (8)
Assists –
Rachel McCollum (36)
Digs –
Sophia Matthews (16),
Avery Jolley (14),
Rachel McCollum (11)
Blocks –
Giselle Little (10),
Rachel McCollum (6),
Teagan Sychterz (6)
Game Recap
Set 1
- Davidson started the contest out hot, jumping out to a 9-3 lead in the first twelve points.
- Winthrop clawed back residing only two points away from 'Cats, 17-15.
- Three straight Eagle points led to a Wildcat timeout at 22-20, Davidson took the next three out of five points to capture the first set, 25-22.
- Davidson had their highest kill count of the match in this set, a mark of 20.
Set 2
- The two squads played tag for the beginning of the second stanza, with neither team having a lead of more than three points.
- Out of the media time out, Winthrop would go on a 5-2 run to pin the contest at 19-17, forcing a Davidson timeout.
- Winthrop would capture the second set after a Wildcat attack error, evening things up at one-all
Set 3
- More of the same unfolded in the third set, as neither team could find a cushion.
- The match sat tied at 19-19, leading to Davidson taking the next six out of seven points to secure the set, 2-1
Set 4
- The Winthrop block started to come alive in the fourth set, totaling 6.5 blocks in the frame
- Eagles were able to mount a five-point lead as the game sat at 17-12, also thanks to the most effective attacking set with a total of 13 kills.
- Davidson could not keep up with the Winthrop attack, blocking zero attempts and committing ten attack errors.
- Winthrop hit at a clip of 0.282 in the set, taking it 25-19
Set 5
- Momentum was squarely on the Winthrop sideline at this point in the match, seeing the Eagles gain a five-point lead, 10-5, thanks to a flurry of Wildcat errors.
- Winthrop forced a final timeout from Davidson before collecting back-to-back kills to capture the set, 15-8, and the match 3-2.
Next Game
The Eagles are back in the Coliseum tomorrow night to round out the Winthrop Invitational against Charlotte, at 6:00 p.m.
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