Saint Vincent College

LATROBE, Pa. (Sept. 4)- The Saint Vincent women's volleyball team split their doubleheader to open the season on the opening day of their annual Bearcat Women's Volleyball Challenge Tournament.

The Bearcats took down Carlow 3-0 in straight sets, before losing a tough match to R.I.T. by a 3-1 final to conclude the opening day of the tournament.

Match 1- Saint Vincent 3, Carlow 0

The Saint Vincent College women's volleyball team opened the 2026 season with a 3-0 sweep over Carlow University in the opening match of the Bearcat Challenge at the Robert S. Carey Center.

The Bearcats won by set scores of 25-18, 25-16 and 25-15.
 

Saint Vincent's attack was led by Meegan Williams, who posted a match-high 17 kills to go along with 11 digs and two service aces. Aubrey Siwula added 14 kills on an efficient .429 hitting percentage, while also totaling 12 digs and two aces.
 

Sabrina George chipped in seven kills, while Madie Eagler directed the Bearcat offense with a match-high 26 assists. Brenna McCracken led the Saint Vincent defense with 20 digs, while Maria Goldstein recorded five of SVC's 15 service aces.
 

Saint Vincent jumped out to an early lead in the opening set and remained in control for much of the frame. The Bearcats held a 19-12 advantage before Carlow used a 4-0 run to pull within three at 19-16. SVC responded with five straight points, including three consecutive kills from Siwula, to take a 24-16 lead before eventually closing out the opening set, 25-18.
 

The Bearcats carried that momentum into the second set, racing out to a 10-4 advantage. After Carlow cut the Saint Vincent lead to 12-7, Goldstein helped spark a 6-0 SVC run from the service line. Goldstein recorded two aces during the run, while Siwula added back-to-back kills to extend the Bearcat lead to 18-7. Saint Vincent remained in control the rest of the way, with Hannah Stone closing out the 25-16 set victory with a kill.
 

Carlow opened the third set strong, building a 10-4 lead, but Saint Vincent quickly responded. The Bearcats erased the deficit with an 8-2 run to tie the set at 12-12 before taking their first lead of the frame on a Siwula kill. With the score tied 13-13, Saint Vincent took control, scoring six consecutive points to build a 19-13 advantage. The Bearcats closed the set on a 12-2 run overall, with Goldstein's kill securing the 25-15 victory and the season-opening sweep.
 

As a team, Saint Vincent finished with 44 kills, 15 aces and 59 digs, while hitting .245 for the match. The Bearcats limited Carlow to just 13 kills and a .022 hitting percentage.

Match 2- R.I.T. 3, Saint Vincent 1

The Saint Vincent women's volleyball team fell to RIT, 3-1, in the nightcap of the Bearcat Challenge at the Robert S. Carey Center.
 

The Tigers won by set scores of 27-25, 19-25, 25-20 and 25-21.
 

Meegan Williams led the Bearcats offensively with 12 kills, while also recording 10 digs for a double-double. Hannah Stone added seven kills on a team-best .263 hitting percentage, while Aubrey Siwula finished with six kills and 11 digs.
 

Madie Eagler totaled 15 assists to go along with five kills, while Brenna McCracken led the Bearcat defense with a match-high 19 digs. Sabrina George recorded four of Saint Vincent's eight service aces, while Williams led the Bearcats at the net with five total blocks.
 

The opening set was tightly contested throughout, before Saint Vincent used an 8-0 run to take control midway through the frame. With SVC leading 13-12, three consecutive Williams kills helped spark the run, while George followed with three straight service aces to give the Bearcats a 20-12 advantage. RIT answered with a 10-2 run to tie the set at 22-22. A Stone kill later gave Saint Vincent set point at 24-23, before a George block put SVC back in front, 25-24. The Tigers responded by scoring the final three points to take the opening set, 27-25.
 

Saint Vincent bounced back in a big way in the second set. The Bearcats jumped out to a 9-3 advantage and continued to pull away, eventually taking an 18-8 lead following a Williams block. RIT pulled to within seven at 24-17, but Saint Vincent closed out the set, 25-19, to even the match at one set apiece.
 

The teams traded points early in the third set, with the score tied at 10-10 before RIT used a 6-0 run to open up a 16-10 advantage. Saint Vincent pulled back within three, 20-17, following three Williams kills over a four-point span, but the Tigers held off the Bearcats down the stretch to take the set, 25-20, and a 2-1 lead in the match.
 

Saint Vincent grabbed an early 8-5 lead in the fourth set before RIT battled back to tie the score at 8-8. The set remained close from there, as an Eagler service ace tied the score at 15-15 before a Williams kill evened things again at 16-16. Later, kills from Siwula and an RIT attack error gave the Bearcats a 20-19 lead. RIT responded by scoring four straight points to take a 23-20 advantage. Siwula stopped the run with a kill, but the Tigers scored the final two points to close out the set, 25-21, and the match.
 

As a team, Saint Vincent totaled 33 kills, eight service aces, 11 total blocks and 60 digs. The Bearcats held an 11-8 advantage in blocks and an 8-3 edge in service aces, while RIT finished with 48 kills and 71 digs.
 

The Bearcats will play two more matches tomorrow, Saturday, September 5 to conclude the 2026 Bearcat Challenge Tournament. They will first take on Penn State-Behrend at 12 noon, before playing the College of Wooster at 6 p.m. in the Robert S. Carey Center.