
Charleston Sweeps Notre Dame to Win Tournament
9/13/2026 4:21:00 PM | Volleyball
CHARLESTON, S.C. – College of Charleston won the 2026 Steve Baumrind Invitational with a sweep of Notre Dame (25-19, 25-13, 25-22) Sunday afternoon at TD Arena.
Charleston went a perfect 4-0 during the week, having lost just a single set in the victories, while improving to a conference-best 8-2 overall. The Fighting Irish slip to 1-6 overall after losing all three matches this weekend.
Sophomore Caroline Noonan was tabbed tournament MVP after averaging 3.20 kills per set, 1.50 blocks per set and hitting .500.
CRITICAL POINTS AGAINST NOTRE DAME:
OF NOTE:
UP NEXT:
Charleston begins conference play Sept. 19-20 at Elon. Opening serves are scheduled for 8 p.m. and 3 p.m. with both matches airing live on FloCollege.
For complete coverage of Charleston volleyball, follow us on Facebook (/cofcvolleyball), X (@CofCVolleyball) and Instagram (@cofcvolleyball).
Charleston went a perfect 4-0 during the week, having lost just a single set in the victories, while improving to a conference-best 8-2 overall. The Fighting Irish slip to 1-6 overall after losing all three matches this weekend.
Sophomore Caroline Noonan was tabbed tournament MVP after averaging 3.20 kills per set, 1.50 blocks per set and hitting .500.
CRITICAL POINTS AGAINST NOTRE DAME:
- Charleston stormed out to a 9-2 advantage to open the match while ripping off 5 total blocks in the set.
- CofC's offense kept clicking as it hit .433 with just one error in set two, holding Notre Dame to just 13 points in the frame.
- Noonan collected a match-high 11 kills to pair with 4 blocks and a .348 attacking percentage.
- Sophomore Julia Gnida hit .269 on the outside with 10 kills and 5 digs.
- Freshman Julie Nzambele ripped off 8 kills and 8 digs while hitting .304 for the Cougars.
- Defensively, sophomore Jumana Martin registered 12 digs while junior Cole Crews had 11 digs in the backline.
- CofC blocked 11 attacks at the net, good for its third block party of the year.
- Noonan, sophomore Makena Parthen and senior Gabby Tuiaana each had 4 blocks in the win.
OF NOTE:
- Charleston beat Notre Dame for the first time in program history Sunday.
- CofC also defeated a Power 4 school for the first time since defeating Clemson on the road Dec. 6, 2018, in the NIVC Quarterfinals.
- Sunday marks the first Power 4 victory at home since the Cougars beat Wake Forest in five sets on Sept. 12, 2014.
- Noonan earned Steve Baumrind Invitational MVP while Gnida and junior Helena Vukovic were All-Tournament Team honorees.
- Tuiaana surpassed the 500-kill mark for her career versus Notre Dame.
- Parthen reached the 100-block mark in the match as well.
UP NEXT:
Charleston begins conference play Sept. 19-20 at Elon. Opening serves are scheduled for 8 p.m. and 3 p.m. with both matches airing live on FloCollege.
For complete coverage of Charleston volleyball, follow us on Facebook (/cofcvolleyball), X (@CofCVolleyball) and Instagram (@cofcvolleyball).
Players Mentioned
Team Stats
ND
CC
Kills
33
45
Errors
20
11
Attempts
106
107
Hitting %
.123
.318
Points
40.0
60.0
Assists
32
41
Aces
1
4
Blocks
6
11
Game Leaders
Wednesday, August 12
Wednesday, July 29
Friday, July 17
Wednesday, June 17






















