NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt volleyball opened its 2026 season with a 3-0 (25-14, 25-20, 25-11) win over Charleston on Friday night at Memorial Gymnasium. The Commodores recorded 51 kills and hit .427 as a team, marking the highest kill total in program history for a three-set match.
Vanderbilt's offense was led by Reese Animashaun, who totaled 10 kills and added two service aces and nine digs. Maya Witherspoon finished with nine kills, while Kayla Dunlap added seven kills and hit .667. Avery Scoggins directed the attack with 36 assists as the Commodores placed four players at seven or more kills.
Defensively, Elli Kinney paced the back row with 11 digs, while Animashaun chipped in nine. At the net, Vanderbilt totaled seven team blocks, led by Rachel Ogunleye and Samantha Wunsch with two block assists each.
The Commodores established the tempo early, posting 18 kills on a .412 hitting percentage in the opening set. Vanderbilt followed with 17 kills in the second frame before closing the match with its most efficient offensive set, hitting .593 with 16 kills in the third.
Scoggins also contributed two service aces, while Dunlap and Kinney added one apiece as Vanderbilt finished with three aces and 48 digs. The Commodores limited the Cougars to a .134 hitting percentage while committing just two attack errors in the final set.
The 51-kill performance established a new program benchmark for kills in a three-set match and opened the season with Vanderbilt's most productive three-set offensive outing to date.
Vanderbilt remains at Memorial Gymnasium to face Memphis on Saturday at 4 p.m. Fans who attend Dore Jam prior to first serve will have the opportunity to receive a complimentary ticket to the match.