ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. - The Mount Aloysius College women's volleyball team split its opening two matches of the 2026 N.C. Wesleyan Women's Volleyball Invitational on Friday, falling to Randolph, 3-0, before bouncing back in impressive fashion with a 3-0 sweep of Mary Baldwin to earn its first victory of the season.
The Mounties opened the day against Randolph, battling the WildCats in a tightly contested first and third set before falling by scores of 25-23, 25-7 and 25-23.
Mount Aloysius came out strong in the opening set, keeping pace with Randolph throughout the frame before the WildCats eventually secured the 25-23 victory. The Mounties struggled to find their rhythm in the second set as Randolph pulled away for a 25-7 win.
The Mounties responded in the third set, again taking the WildCats down to the wire. Mount Aloysius remained within striking distance throughout the frame, but Randolph ultimately closed out the set, 25-23, to complete the sweep.
Despite the result, the opening match featured a significant career milestone for senior libero Madison Barr (Pittsburgh, Pa., Shaler). Barr recorded 14 digs in the contest to reach 1,000 career digs, becoming the latest Mountie to reach the milestone. She also contributed an ace and two assists in the match.
Freshman Kyler Freeman (Lucinda, Pa., North Clarion) led Mount Aloysius offensively with eight kills, while sophomore Loren Stipanovich (Cresson, Pa, Penn Cambria) added five kills and two blocks. Mackenzie Barr (Pittsburgh, Pa., Shaler) contributed four kills, while setters sophomore Kiersten Cummings (Las Vegas, Nev, Nevada State) recorded 11 assists and senior Reghyn Wilson (Harrisburg, Pa., Bishop McDevitt) added nine.
The Mounties finished the match with 24 kills, five aces, four blocks, 22 assists and 37 digs. Randolph recorded 43 kills, 13 aces, 37 assists and 51 digs.
Mounties Bounce Back Against Mary Baldwin
Mount Aloysius quickly put the opening-match result behind it in its second contest of the day, dominating Mary Baldwin from start to finish to secure a 3-0 victory by scores of 25-15, 25-10 and 25-14.
The Mounties established control early, taking the opening set, 25-15. Mount Aloysius then put together its strongest stretch of the afternoon in the second set, racing to a 25-10 victory before closing out the match with a 25-14 win in the third.
The Mounties' offense produced 29 kills while committing 13 errors on 84 attacks for a .190 hitting percentage. Defensively, Mount Aloysius held Mary Baldwin to just 17 kills and a -.043 hitting percentage.
The Mounties also controlled the statistical battle at the service line and net, recording 11 aces and eight blocks compared to three aces and two blocks for Mary Baldwin.
Freshman Jasmine Coble (Lewisberry, Pa., Red Land) made her Mountie debut and paced the Mounties with seven kills and a match-high four blocks. Mackenzie Barr and junior Sarah Iman (Purgitsville, W.V., Moorefield) each added six kills, while Kyler Freeman recorded two kills and two blocks.
Junior Maya McIlwain (Rural Valley, Pa, West Shamokin) led the Mounties with four service aces, while Kiersten Cummings and freshman Macie Highley (Middlebourne, W.V., Tyler) each added two.
Reghyn Wilson directed the Mount Aloysius offense with 15 assists, while Cummings and Mad. Barr each recorded three assists.
McIlwain also anchored the defensive effort with 14 digs. Mad. Barr added 10 digs, giving the senior 24 digs across Friday's two matches while celebrating her 1,000-career-dig milestone earlier in the day. Wilson added seven digs.
Looking Ahead
With Friday's split, the Mounties move to 1-2 on the young 2026 season.
Mount Aloysius will return to action Saturday for bracket play at the N.C. Wesleyan Invitational. The Mounties will await the conclusion of Friday's pool-play matches to determine their seed and opponent for Saturday's competition.
The six-team invitational features two three-team pools during Friday's opening round before advancing to championship bracket play Saturday. The tournament will conclude with a fifth-place match, third-place match and championship contest, giving each team another opportunity to compete on the final day.
After earning its first win of the season in convincing fashion against Mary Baldwin, the Mounties will look to carry that momentum into Saturday's bracket play as they continue their 2026 campaign.
#GoMounties
