Blue Mountain Christian volleyball opens season with sweep at Carolina Classic

Winston-Salem, North Carolina — Blue Mountain Christian Volleyball opened the 2026 season with a win Friday, sweeping Spartanburg Methodist in their first match of the Carolina Classic hosted by Carolina University.

The Volley Toppers (1-0) won in straight sets, finishing with a balanced offensive effort. They recorded 39 kills while hitting .280 as a team. The team also totaled eight blocks and 52 digs in the victory.

Salice Speed led the offense with nine kills and a .241 hitting percentage. She contributed defensively with nine digs and was involved in four blocks, finishing with a team-high 12.5 points. Valeria Velez made an immediate impact in her first match, posting eight kills without an attack error on 16 attempts for a .500 percentage. She also added 11 digs.

Mattie Hopper contributed with eight kills on 15 attempts, hitting .400. Marissa Gerleman added seven kills and two blocks, while Olivia Lewis helped at the net with five block assists and three kills on five attempts, finishing with a .400 hitting percentage.

The team’s setters distributed the offense effectively. Olivia Domino led with 12 assists, followed by Sydney Tague with 10 and Brenyn Wilbanks with nine. Defensively, Abbi Williams led with 17 digs. Velez and Speed added 11 and nine digs, respectively.

The victory moves Blue Mountain Christian to 1-0 as they continue play at the Carolina Classic in Winston-Salem.

Source: Original Article