Harrogate, Tenn. / Greeneville, Tenn - Charleston split its two-match road trip in Tennessee, falling 3-1 to Lincoln Memorial University on March 20 before bouncing back with a dominant 3-0 sweep over Tusculum University on March 21.

Game One

The Basics:
Location: Harrogate, Tenn. (Mary Mars Gym)
Score: Charleston 1, Lincoln Memorial 3 (21-25, 25-19, 22-25, 23-25)
Records: Charleston 11-9 (3-3 EIVA), Lincoln Memorial 10-6 (1-0 DI Independent)

How It Happened:
Set one opened with tight, back-and-forth action before Lincoln Memorial used a four-point run to take early control after trailing 4-2. Charleston responded behind kills from Joonatan Salpakari to tie the set at 9-9. The teams traded points throughout, eventually knotting the score at 20-20 before Lincoln Memorial closed the set on a decisive 5-0 run to win 25-21.

Charleston answered in set two, battling through multiple ties at 7-7 and 10-10. With the score even at 12-12, the Golden Eagles surged on a 4-0 run fueled by kills from Xander Bomert, Pavlin Ivanov, and Salpakari. That stretch created a cushion Charleston maintained late, as a kill from Braxton Francis and another from Max Nissen helped push the lead to 22-17. Charleston closed out the set 25-19 to even the match.

Set three mirrored the opening frames with momentum swinging both ways. After trailing 15-13, Charleston used a 5-0 run, highlighted by three kills from Max Nissen, to take an 18-15 lead. Lincoln Memorial responded, tying the set at 19-19 before pulling ahead late. A strong finish from the hosts secured a 25-22 set win.

In the fourth set, Charleston built early momentum, using a five-point run to grab a 12-8 lead and later extending it to 15-10. Lincoln Memorial answered with a 5-0 run of its own to even the score at 15-15. The teams traded points down the stretch, with Charleston tying the set at 20-20 behind kills from Salpakari. However, Lincoln Memorial once again executed late, closing out the match with a 25-23 set win.

Offensively
Max Nissen led the Golden Eagles with 18 kills, while Joonatan Salpakari added 12 and Xander Bomert finished with 11.

Defensively
Charleston totaled 20 team blocks, led by Bomert with 3 block assists, while Mikolaj Daszkiewicz recorded a team-high 9 digs.
 
 
Game 2

The Basics:
Location: Greeneville, Tenn. (Pioneer Arena)
Score: Charleston 3, Tusculum 0 (25-12, 25-19, 25-21)
Records: Charleston 12-9 (3-3 EIVA), Tusculum 11-8 (0-3 DI Independent)
 
How It Happened:
Charleston came out sharp in set one, jumping ahead 8-5 before exploding on a 4-0 run sparked by Conrad Spidsø, who recorded multiple service aces and a kill during the stretch. The Golden Eagles continued to build separation with another run to make it 17-7, then put the set out of reach with a late 5-0 surge to go up 22-9. A kill from Max Nissen and a service ace from Marco Kost sealed a dominant 25-12 win.

Set two followed a similar pattern early, with Charleston breaking a 3-3 tie using a 5-0 run that included two service aces from Nissen. The Golden Eagles maintained control, extending their lead to 15-8 before Tusculum briefly responded. Charleston pushed ahead again to 20-14 and, despite a late push from the Pioneers, closed the set 25-19 on a block from Dimitris Manikas.

The third set proved to be the most competitive. Charleston built an early lead and then used a 6-1 run to take a 17-10 advantage, highlighted by a service ace and kill from Samuel Alo. Tusculum fought back with a 4-0 run to close the gap to 19-17 and later made it a one-point game at 21-20. Charleston responded with three straight points, including kills from Alo and Lucas Torres, to regain control. A late service error from Tusculum secured the 25-21 win and completed the sweep.

Offensively
Samuel Alo led Charleston with 9 kills on .800 hitting, while Max Nissen and Braxton Francis each added 7 kills.

Defensively
The Golden Eagles held Tusculum to a .030 hitting percentage while recording 10 total blocks and 19 digs.
 
Up Next:
Charleston continues conference play on March 27 as the Golden Eagles travel to face Princeton University at 7:00 p.m. in Dillon Gymnasium.