GREENVILLE, S.C. – The Conference Carolinas Women’s Volleyball Championship preliminary round ended on Sunday with sixth seed UNC Pembroke advancing with a win over Shorter University. Earlier in the day, the Hawks topped Belmont Abbey College in the first round.

UNC Pembroke Preliminary Site
First Round – No. 7 Shorter 3, No. 12 Belmont Abbey 2
Seventh seed Shorter got off to a hot start, taking the first set 25-15 behind a .333 attack percentage, but the Crusaders came back to take the next two sets 26-24 and 25-17. In the third set, Belmont Abbey posted 17 kills and a.600 attack percentage. Shorter bounced back to win the fourth set 25-16 behind a .306 attack percentage to force a fifth set. The Hawk offense continued their hot play in the fifth set, hitting .471 while the defense held Belmont Abbey to a -.053 attack percentage to take the set 15-6.

Victoria Sparks led Shorter with 17 kills and 11 digs while Laila Bernardino added 13 kills. Caroline Sivills chipped in with 10 kills while Claudia Loyola posted 18 digs. Belmont Abbey was led by 16 kills from Tyler Case and 11 from Lola Sultenfuss.

Second Round – No. 6 UNC Pembroke, No. 7 Shorter
UNC Pembroke got off to a hot start, taking the first set 25-13 behind a solid offensive attack and stout defense. The Braves hit .273 while holding Chowan to a .000 attack percentage. The UNC Pembroke offense improved in the second set 25-20 win, registering 17 kills and a .300 attack percentage. The Braves put the exclamation point on the match, winning the third set 25-13 behind a .346 attack percentage and holding the Hawks to a -.120 attack percentage.

Precious Daley led the Braves with 10 kills while Abby Peduzzi added nine kills. Tyler Patterson handed out 31 assists and added 11 digs while Brette Doyle added 11 digs. Victoria Sparks led Shorter with eight kills.

UNC Pembroke advances to the quarterfinals where they will face third seed Francis Marion University on Thursday night in Charleston, South Carolina.

Fans can watch every game of the tournament live via the Conference Carolinas Digital Network and BlueFrame at conferencecarolinasdn.com. Information regarding the championship schedule, bracket and the North Charleston Athletic Center are available at the link above.

2024 Conference Carolinas Women's Volleyball Championship
Saturday, November 16 (Nos. 4, 5 & 6 Host)
No. 11 Barton def. No. 8 King, (at Converse), 3-0 Box Score
No. 9 Southern Wesleyan def. No. 10 Young Harris (at North Greenville), 3-2 Box Score

First Round – Sunday, November 17 (Nos. 4, 5 & 6 Host)
No. 7 Shorter def. No. 12 Belmont Abbey (at UNC Pembroke), 3-2 Box Score

Second Round – Saturday, November 16 (Higher Seed Hosts)
No. 5 Converse def. No. 11 Barton, 3-0 Box Score
No. 4 North Greenville def, No. 9 Southern Wesleyan, 3-0 Box Score

Second Round – Sunday, November 17 (Higher Seed Hosts)
No. 6 UNC Pembroke def. No. 7 Shorter, 3-0 Box Score

Quarterfinals – Thursday, November 21 (North Charleston Athletic Center, North Charleston, S.C.)
No. 5 Converse vs. No. 4 North Greenville, 5:00 p.m.
No. 6 UNC Pembroke vs. No. 3 Francis Marion, 7:30 p.m.

Semifinals – Friday, November 22 (North Charleston Athletic Center, North Charleston, S.C.)
Winner of Nos. 4/5/8/9/10/11 vs. No. 1 Emmanuel, 5:00 p.m.
Winner of Nos. 3/6/7/12 vs. No. 2 Mount Olive, 7:30 p.m.

Final – Saturday, November 23 (North Charleston Athletic Center, North Charleston, S.C.)
Winner of Semifinal No. 1 vs. Winner of Semifinal No. 2, 5:00 p.m.