PEMBROKE, N.C. – 2026 Conference Carolinas Women’s Volleyball Championship opened on Friday night with pair of five set matches and one upset. Shorter University outlasted Lees-McRae College to advance while Southern Wesleyan University had to come back to top Belmont Abbey College in five sets. North Greenville University and the University of Mount Olive also advanced to next week's quarterfinals.
No. 5 North Greenville def. No. 12 Chowan 3-0 (25-22, 25-18, 25-9)
North Greenville hit .200 and held Chowan to an attack percentage of .020 in the opening round victory. Anna Fiddelke led North Greenville with 11 kills while Peyton Taylor added 10 kills. Allison Ball handed out 23 assists and Samantha Ball led the back row with 12 digs.
North Greenville will play Francis Marion University on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. in Florence, South Carolina.
No. 6 Mount Olive def. No. 11 King 3-1 (26-24, 18-25, 25-20, 26-24)
The match was tight as Mount Olive needed extra points to take the first and fourth sets. The Trojans hit .218 in the victory while King posted a .164 attack percentage. In their second-set win, the Tornado hit a blistering .400, however, the Mount Olive defense didn’t allow the Tornado hit over .200 in any of the other sets. Olivia Melvin led Mount Olive with 14 kills and added 12 digs. Kacey Gore led the back row with 20 digs while Lyndsay Reid handed out 49 assists to go along with 18 digs.
Mount Olive will play UNC Pembroke on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. in Pembroke, North Carolina.
No. 10 Shorter def. No. 7 Lees-McRae 3-2 (19-25, 27-25, 21-25, 25-17, 15-12)
This match was tight throughout as Lees-McRae got off to a hot start, holding Shorter to a negative attack percentage in the opening set. However, the Hawk offense continued to improve throughout the match. Shorter hit .306 in the fourth set and capped the comeback by hitting .278 in the final set. With the fifth set even at 12, Shorter scored the final three points to take the set. Caroline Sivills led Shorter with 20 kills, six digs and seven blocks while Emily Drier added 10 kills and eight blocks. Caitlyn Sutton posted 27 digs for the Hawks.
Shorter will play Converse University on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
No. 8 Southern Wesleyan def. No. 9 Belmont Abbey 3-2 (22-25, 25-18, 30-32, 25-12, 15-9)
In what was another tight match, Southern Wesleyan needed a home comeback after dropping the third set 32-30 to fall behind 2-1. The Warrior offense responded with a .333 attack percentage in the fourth set and the defense held Belmont Abbey to a negative attack percentage in the set. Southern Wesleyan then hit .500 in the final set with 11 kills to take the match. Ainsley Stovall led Southern Wesleyan with 22 kills while Kaylon Chapman added 16 kills and 20 digs.
Southern Wesleyan will play Emmanuel University on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. in Franklin Springs, Georgia.
The semifinals and final will be played at Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court at UNC Pembroke in Pembroke, North Carolina on Saturday, November 14 and Sunday, November 15. The first semifinal on Saturday will start at 5:00 p.m. with the second semifinal starting at 7:30 p.m.
Fans can watch every game of the tournament live via the Conference Carolinas Digital Network powered by Hudl at ConferenceCarolinas.com/watch. Fans can purchase an all-tournament pass for $25 or a daily pass for $10.
Information regarding the championship schedule and bracket are available at the links below.
CHAMPIONSHIP PAGE | BRACKET | LIVE VIDEO | FINAL SITE TICKETS
2026 Conference Carolinas Women’s Volleyball Championship
First Round – Friday, November 6 (Higher Seed Hosts)
No. 5 North Greenville def. No. 12 Chowan, 3-0
BOX SCORE
No. 6 Mount Olive def. No. 11 King, 3-1
BOX SCORE
No. 10 Shorter def. No. 7 Lees-McRae, 3-2
BOX SCORE
No. 8 Southern Wesleyan def. No. 9 Belmont Abbey, 3-2
BOX SCORE
Quarterfinals – Tuesday, November 10 (Higher Seed Hosts)
No. 8 Southern Wesleyan at No. 1 Emmanuel, 7:00 p.m.
No. 10 Shorter at No. 2 Converse, 7:00 p.m.
Quarterfinals – Wednesday, November 11 (Higher Seed Hosts)
No. 6 Mount Olive at No. 3 UNC Pembroke, 7:00 p.m.
No. 5 North Greenville at No. 4 Francis Marion, 7:00 p.m.
Semifinals – Saturday, November 14 (Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court – Pembroke, N.C.)
Winner of 1-8-9 vs. winner of 4-5-12, 5:00 p.m.
Winner of 3-6-11 vs. winner of 2-7-10, 7:30 p.m.
Final – Sunday, November 15 (Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court – Pembroke, N.C.)
Winner of Semifinal No. 1 vs. Winner of Semifinal No. 2, 3:00 p.m.