Charleston, W.Va. – The University of Charleston men's volleyball team opened the 2026 season in dominant fashion, sweeping Lees-McRae College 3–0 Saturday afternoon inside the Wehrle Innovation Center. The Golden Eagles controlled the match from start to finish, using strong runs in the first two sets and late composure in the third to secure the season-opening shutout.

The Basics:
Location: Wehrle Innovation Center – Charleston, W.Va.
Score: Charleston 3, Lees-McRae 0 (25–16, 25–16, 25–21)
Records: Charleston 1–0 (0–0 EIVA), Lees-McRae 0–1 (0–0 Conference Carolinas)

How it Happened:
Charleston wasted no time setting the tone in the opening set, scoring the first point of the match and never giving up the lead. The Golden Eagles quickly built a 10–4 advantage before going on a four-point run to create separation. UC continued to apply pressure, stretching the lead to 20–10 before closing out the set 25–16 on a kill from Lucas Torres.

The second set followed a similar script as Charleston once again grabbed the early momentum. UC reached double digits first with a 10–7 lead and used two separate four-point runs to pull ahead 20–11. With control of the set throughout, the Golden Eagles closed out another 25–16 win, capped by a kill from Xander Bomert to take a 2–0 match lead.

Lees-McRae came out strong in the third set, jumping ahead to claim its first lead of the match. The frame remained tight early, with the teams tied at 10–10. Charleston responded with a four-point run to take a 14–10 advantage and held the Bobcats at bay as the set progressed. UC carried a 20–17 lead late before extending it to 23–17. Lees-McRae answered with a late four-point run to close within two at 23–21, but a service error followed by a final kill from Braxton Francis sealed the 25–21 set win and completed the sweep.

Offensively, Xander Bomert led all players with 11 kills, while Lucas Torres added 8. Joonatan Salpakari finished with 7 kills and Braxton Francis contributed 5. Setter Yotam Briger paced the offense with 21 assists.

Defensively, Mikolaj Daszkiewicz anchored the back row with 9 digs. Erel Bardah and Braxton Francis each recorded 5 block assists, while Lucas Torres added 5 digs in the victory.

Up Next:
The Golden Eagles will host the UC Invitational on Friday, Jan. 16 and will face McKendree University at 7:00 p.m. inside the Wehrle Innovation Center.