ROCK HILL, S.C. -- The Winthrop University volleyball team heads up to Ohio for the Sports Import Classic, taking on Ohio State, Youngstown State, and Southern Indiana.
FIRST SERVE
- Winthrop and Ohio State will meet for the first time ever on Friday
- The Eagles and Youngstown State will face off for the third time in their program history, with the first time being 2002, where they met in Kansas City with the Eagles winning in five sets. The last time they met on the court was in 2017, as the Penguins swept in three at the Morehead State tournament
- Winthrop and Southern Indiana will also meet for the first time on Sunday
- Paige Bennett currently leads the conference in kills per set at 4.50, also sitting at 13th in the nation
- Bennett also holds the lead for points per set in the Big South, 4.84, residing at 25th in the nation
- As a team, the Eagles hold the top spot in the conference in hitting percentage at 0.244, and the top spot in assists per set, 12.19
- Bennett was named Big South Player of the Week for the Week of Sept. 7, as she continued her tear into the second week of the season, helping the Eagles to a 2-0 weekend. She finished the week with 37 kills while hitting .346. She opened the week posting a match-high 15 kills on .303 hitting with seven digs. She then tied her career high against Old Dominion in a five-set match on Saturday, again leading all players with 22 kills on .378 hitting and adding 11 digs for her second double-double of the season. Her 22 kills were the high mark in the Big South last week. Bennett was also nearly flawless on serve receive, committing just one error in 34 attempts. She ranked second in the conference in kills per set at 4.63 and third in points per set at 4.88
- Thatcher was named Big South Setter of the Week for the Week of Sept. 7, after resuming setter duties after leaving with an injury last week. She totaled 77 assists across eight sets for an average of 9.63 assists per set, with Winthrop hitting .292 as a team across the two matches. Thatcher started the week with a match-high 35 assists against ACC foe Virginia Tech, also leading the Eagles with 12 digs for a double-double. She then capped off her week with another match-high 42 assists and 18 digs for her second double-double in as many games. Thatcher led the Eagles in total digs with 30 and digs per set at 3.75, placing fifth in the conference in that category
- Bennett was named the MVP of the Winthrop Invitational
- Thatcher and Czajka were also named to the All-Tournament Team
- Winthrop faced off against Old Dominion for the first time on Saturday, with the Monarchs pushing the Eagles to five-sets, and ODU losing on a rotational error
- Thatcher reached 2,000 career assists against Virginia Tech
- The Eagles set an attendance record on Thursday against Virginia Tech, seeing 1,149 fans in attendance
- Winthrop swept Virginia Tech on Thursday, making it a second-straight sweep against the Hokies
- Winthrop swept the Hokies the last time they met on the court, but split the Home-and-Home series with them in 2024 after taking them to five sets in Blacksburg
- The first ever meeting between Winthrop and VT came in 1982, when the Hokies took down the Eagles two sets to one
- Paige Bennett and Addison Torain were named to the Wildcat Classic All-Tournament team this past weekend
- Bennett collected 35 kills in the two matches, hitting at a clip of .244. Bennett led the Big South in Kills per Set at 4.38 and Points per Set at 4.81 for the week of Aug. 31
- Torrain took over Libero responsibilities this season, digging out 36 balls in the eight sets played, also setting a new career-high with six assists against Davidson
- Torrain was tied for third in the Big South for Digs per Set with 4.50 in the week of Aug. 31
- Bennett set a new career-high against Davidson on Friday with 22 kills on a career-high 55 attacks with 12 digs in the five-set match, she also set her former career-high last season in the opening weekend
- The Eagles ended the week with two losses after falling to Wofford in straight sets, the third straight time the Eagles have lost to the Terriers on a neutral court
- Winthrop opened their season against the same opponent as they did last year, this time on the other side of a five-set decision to Davidson
- Paige Bennett was named to the Big South Conference Preseason All-Conference Team
- Winthrop opens the year as ranked as preseason number two in the 2026 Big South preseason poll
- This marks the fourth-straight year that the Eagles have earned at least one first-place vote, and four straight years of having a member on the Preseason All-Conference Team.
- Head Coach Heather Gearhart returns for her fifth season at the helm of the Eagles
- Winthrop finished last season with an 18-7 record, holding a 12-2 mark in Big South play, earning the top seed for the first time since 2019.
- Gearhart has held a 48-10 record in her four seasons at the helm in Big South play.
- Gearhart was also tabbed as the AVCA Southeast Region Coach of the Year last season, becoming the first AVCA Region Coach of the Year in Winthrop History, and only the second ever in the Big South, the first to do so since Tom Mendoza of High Point in 2017.
- Winthrop returns six of the eight players that played 70 or more sets for them last season
- The Eagles return 59.56% of their kills from last season, led by Paige Bennett
- Bennett was named to the Big South Conference All-Conference Second Team last season
- Teagan Sychterz returns after playing every set for the Eagles last year (101), and being named to the Big South Conference All-Conference Second Team last season
- Sychterz led the Eagles in total blocks last season with 82
- Giselle Little also returns for her junior season after leading the Eagles in hitting percentage, 0.299
- Little was also an All-Conference Honorable Mention last year, playing in all but one set (100)
- Addison Torrain wrapped up her freshman campaign playing in every set for the Eagles as a true freshman, earning her spot on the Big South Conference All-Freshman Team
- Laila Glover also returns for her senior season, after playing in 87 sets and being one of the six Eagles with 100+ kills (161)
- Last season, the Eagles ranked 21st in the NCAA in digs per set with a mark of 16.48
- They also were top ranked in the Big South in assists per set and kills per set, 12.38 and 13.56
- The Eagles lost their leaders in the categories of kills, (Avery Jolley, 380), assists, (Rachel McCollum, 785) and digs, (Sophia Matthews, 410)
- Winthrop also loses 95.6% of their assists last season, with Lexi Thatcher now stepping into the setter duties
- Thatcher transferred in from Samford after her sophomore year, leading the SoCon in assists per set that year and starting every match in her sophomore campaign
- The Eagles also lose 61% of their digs from last season, with the only two returners over 100 digs being Torrain and Bennett
- The Eagles have made the Big South postseason tournament for the last eight 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 55th season of Eagle Volleyball, with these matches being the 1862nd,1863rd, and 1864th
2026 HONORS
- Paige Bennett
- Big South Conference Preseason All-Conference Team
- Wildcat Classic All-Tournament Team
- Winthrop Invitational MVP
- Winthrop Invitational All-Tournament Team
- Big South Player of the Week (Sept. 7)
- Addison Torain
- Wildcat Classic All-Tournament Team
- Lexi Thatcher
- Winthrop Invitational All-Tournament Team
- Big South Setter of the Week (Sept. 7)
- Maggie Czajka
- Winthrop Invitational All-Tournament Team
WINTHROP IMPACT NETWORK
Winthrop Athletics is proud to announce the launch of WIN: Winthrop's Impact Network- a distinguished philanthropic giving society established to support and elevate Winthrop's 16 NCAA Division I programs and nearly 300 student-athletes.
In the new era of college athletics, it is critical now more than ever to generate revenue to provide Winthrop student-athletes with the resources and opportunities needed to compete for Big South championships and advance in the NCAA tournament. Winthrop's Impact Network members will have an elite level of direct impact on the future of Winthrop Athletics. For more information,
click here.
JOIN THE EAGLE CLUB
The Eagle Club is the official fundraising arm of Winthrop Athletics. Your generosity directly supports Winthrop Athletics and helps provide our student-athletes with the resources they need to succeed on and off the field. From facility upgrades and enhanced game-day experiences to scholarships, equipment, travel, and academic support, every dollar makes a difference
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By investing in the Eagle Club, you're helping us build a stronger future for Winthrop Athletics—one that prioritizes excellence, opportunity, and a championship culture.
Whether you're an alum, parent, fan, or community member, your support fuels our success. For more information or to become a member,
CLICK HERE.
