BELTON, TX. – Carroll University women's volleyball opened the 2026 season Friday at the Mary Hardin-Baylor Invitational, splitting a pair of matches on the first day of competition. The Pioneers opened the season with a five-set victory over Millsaps before falling to Texas Lutheran in straight sets later in the afternoon.
Friday Morning: Carroll 3, Millsaps 2 (25-27, 27-25, 25-18, 24-26, 15-12)
Carroll opened the invitational, and its season, with a back-and-forth five-set battle against Millsaps, coming away with a 3-2 victory. After dropping the first set 27-25, the Pioneers responded well in the second, topping Millsaps 27-25 behind four separate three-point runs. Carroll carried that momentum into the third set with a 25-18 victory before Millsaps answered with a 26-24 win in the fourth to force a deciding fifth set. After falling behind 5-2 early in the fifth, the Pioneers flipped the script, scoring six of the next seven points to take an 8-6 advantage. The two teams continued to battle throughout the deciding set, but Carroll ultimately pulled away, finishing the match with three straight kills to secure a 15-12 victory and its first win of the season.
The Pioneers finished with 60 kills, 15 service aces and 86 digs while hitting .171 as a team. Audrey Rosenbaum led the attack with 15 kills on a .297 hitting percentage, while Kylie Wittnebel added 12 kills and hit .259. Clara Justice also reached double figures with 10 kills. Samantha Miserendino anchored the back row with 32 digs, while Carly Hicklin added 15 digs and a team-high four service aces.
Friday Afternoon: Texas Luthern University 3, Carroll 0 (25-19, 25-19, 25-23)
Carroll returned to the court Friday afternoon against Texas Lutheran, falling in three sets. The Pioneers improved offensively as the match progressed, recording 14 kills and hitting .205 in the third set as they pushed the Bulldogs before ultimately falling 25-23. Carroll finished the match with 34 kills, 55 digs and six team blocks.
Audrey Rosenbaum led the Carroll attack for the second straight match with nine kills, while Lexi Proctor added seven kills on a .278 hitting percentage to go along with 15 assists. Carly Hicklin finished with six kills and seven digs, while Samantha Miserendino led the Pioneers defensively with 15 digs and added two service aces. Payton Depies contributed 16 assists and seven digs as Carroll finished its opening day of competition with a 1-1 record.
Looking Ahead To Saturday
The Pioneers will return to action Saturday with two more matches at the Mary Hardin-Baylor Invitational, taking on LeTourneau University at 3:45 p.m and host University of Mary Hardin-Baylor at 6:00 p.m. The two teams met Friday night, with Mary Hardin-Baylor earning a 3-0 victory over LeTourneau.
