GREENVILLE, S.C. – The Presbyterian College volleyball team (4-2) responded with an emphatic victory over North Carolina A&T on Friday afternoon (Sept. 4), emerging victorious in a four-set battle at Timmons Arena. The Blue Hose split sets with the Aggies before taking the decisive third and fourth sets to pick up a 25-23, 11-25, 25-20, 25-20 win.
The third and fourth sets each went down to the wire, but Presbyterian came through in both to bounce back with a victory after yesterday's defeat.
The PC offense was well-balanced on the day, as four players recorded at least six kills. Courtney Williams once again led the way, registering 11. Emma McHatten tied her career-high with nine, while Julia Yurkovich pitched in eight.
Anisa Dorlouis logged six kills to go along with delivering her fourth double-double of the season. She was productive yet again, posting 33 assists and 11 digs.
Defensively, Celimar Hoyos powered the Blue Hose with 15 digs. McHatten added nine as well. Brittney Daphnis, Kaylie Bourn, and Williams each recorded two blocks apiece.
This is the fastest that Presbyterian has reached four wins in a season in the program's Division I era (since 2007).
SET ONE – PC 25, N.C. A&T 23
- Presbyterian hit the ground running to begin play on Friday, jumping out to a 5-1 lead behind kills from Courtney Williams and Julia Yurkovich.
- The Aggies quickly got back in it, cutting the PC lead to one. In the middle of the set, the Blue Hose stayed in front by a narrow margin, never leading by more than three.
- Late in the set, both sides were all square at 19 before a kill from Williams and an ace from Celimar Hoyos gave PC a two-point lead.
- Presbyterian's lead was short-lived, as North Carolina A&T tied it back up at 23. In the clutch, the Blue Hose came through, taking the final two points of the set to claim a narrow opening frame. In the first set, PC never trailed and produced 14 kills.
SET TWO – N.C. A&T 25, PC 11
- The Aggies grabbed the momentum back in the second set, winning nine of the first 10 points to separate from the Blue Hose.
- North Carolina A&T stayed on fire throughout the frame, growing its lead to double digits. The Aggies ultimately took the second set 25-11 to even the match at a set apiece.
SET THREE – PC 25, N.C. A&T 20
- Both teams went back-and-forth with one another in the third, as the set featured nine ties and five lead changes. Neither team led by more than two in the early going until the Aggies eventually grabbed a three-point advantage to go up 16-13.
- Down three, Presbyterian got back to work, going on an immediate 5-0 run highlighted by a clutch kill and service ace from Emma McHatten.
- PC did not let up late in the set, holding off North Carolina A&T to take the lead in the match. A block by Williams and Kaylie Bourn followed by a kill from Yurkovich sealed the third set for the Blue Hose 25-20.
SET FOUR – PC 25, N.C. A&T 20
- The Aggies came out firing in the fourth set, building a 6-2 lead right out of the gate. However, the North Carolina A&T lead did not last long, as kills by Bourn and Yurkovich put PC up 10-8.
- Both teams traded leads from one another before Presbyterian established control once again. Down 17-15, PC put its pedal on the gas, going on on a 10-3 run to finish the match.
- McHatten, Yurkovich, and Dorlouis all pitched in with kills down the stretch to support the Blue Hose rally. Williams sealed the win with a kill, giving Presbyterian a 3-1 victory on Friday afternoon.
NOTABLES
- The Blue Hose improve to 3-1 all-time against North Carolina A&T. This was the first meeting between the two teams since 2021.
- Presbyterian has won the opening set in five of its six matches this season.
- Anisa Dorlouis went over the 30-assist mark for the fourth time this season. She has now produced four double-doubles four times this year.
- Emma McHatten tied her career-high with nine kills. She also recorded nine digs.
- Julia Yurkovich logged a season-high eight kills.
- Celimar Hoyos registered 15 digs, reaching double figures for the fifth time in 2026.
- As a team, the Blue Hose came away with 59 digs compared to the Aggies' 47. PC also had narrow advantages in assists (46 to 42) and kills (47 to 46).
UP NEXT
Presbyterian finishes play in Greenville on Saturday morning (Sept. 5), facing Queens at 11:00 a.m.
