Carolina University’s women’s volleyball team competed in the opening day of the 2025 Continental Athletic Conference Tournament on Friday at Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas. The Bruins played two pool-play matches against familiar conference opponents as they sought a place in the tournament semifinals.
In their first match, Carolina University faced top-seeded Florida National and narrowly lost in five sets (23–25, 25–15, 23–25, 25–10, 15–13). SarahElizabeth Samuels led the team with 15 kills and four digs. Karli Totel contributed seven kills with a .208 hitting percentage. Syvannah Poore managed the offense with 25 assists, eleven digs, and two aces. Defensively, Kai Horta recorded twenty-six digs; she was recently named Defender of the Year in the CAC.
The Bruins won both the first and third sets to take a 2–1 lead before Florida National rallied to claim victory by winning the last two sets.
Later in the day, Carolina played Westcliff University and lost in straight sets (25–21, 25–19, 25–20). Samuels again led Carolina with eight kills while Kammi Naude added five kills at a .400 hitting percentage. Poore had nine assists and four digs on defense. Melia Coleman contributed three-and-a-half total points during play.
Despite producing several scoring runs throughout both matches, Carolina could not secure enough momentum to extend either contest or advance out of pool play.
Head Coach Chelsea Jones commented on her team’s performance: “This team showed grit today,” said Head Coach Chelsea Jones. “We battled the No. 1 seed point for point and kept competing through every rotation of the day. While the results weren’t what we wanted, our growth, chemistry, and discipline continue to trend in the right direction. Now our focus turns fully to the NCCAA South Region, where we have an opportunity to reset, respond, and make a championship push.”
Looking ahead after their CAC tournament exit, Carolina University will compete next week in postseason play at the NCCAA South Region Championship against Clinton College on Thursday, November 20. A win would give them a chance to qualify for Nationals.
