Charleston Concludes Season in First Round of NCAA Tournament
Ben Kane
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (Dec. 5, 2024) – CAA Champion Charleston’s (25-9) season came to an end with a 3-0 loss (25-21, 25-19, 25-15) to fourth-seeded Utah in the first round of the NCAA Volleyball Tournament on Thursday night.
Utah hit .194 compared to Charleston’s .057, edging the Cougars in kills (44-30) and digs (57-43). Charleston led 13-9 in blocks as Caitlyn Callahan’s seven set the pace for the Cougars, with Allie Holland following closely behind at six.
Callahan’s tally set a program record for most blocks in an NCAA Tournament game with all seven coming in the first frame alongside an eight-kill performance. Hannah Scott had a team-high 19 assists.
The Utes ran out to a quick 5-1 lead before Charleston brought the contest to within one off the back of two consecutive blocks. Utah broke away immediately after, going on an 8-0 spurt. Looking for a response, the Cougars put up a wall with Callahan having four straight blocks to cut Utah’s lead down to three. The Utes ended up taking the first set 25-21.
Charleston stayed close to Utah the whole second set, however, the Utes never relinquished a lead to win the second 25-19. After struggling offensively in the first frame with a .027 hitting percentage, the Cougars improved to .158. Holding a five-point cushion heading into set point, a service ace pushed Utah over the finish line.
Looking to close out the match, the Utes raced out to a 15-7 lead in the third set. Charleston secured four straight points before Utah went on a 5-0 run of their own to end the contest. The Utes took the match 25-16 off an attacking error from the Cougars.
The Cougars finished the season with a 17-1 home record (the most wins by a non-Power 4 program and second behind Nebraska (18-0) ), claimed the program’s first CAA Championship since 2013 and appeared in their 10th NCAA Tournament. Charleston’s 25 victories were the program's most since 2017.
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