USC Salkehatchie volleyball defeats Clinton in Home Opener

WALTERBORO, S.C. – August 21, 2025 – The USC Salkehatchie volleyball team secured a hard-fought victory against Clinton College on Thursday night, earning a 3-1 win in their home opener. The team showed resilience after dropping the third set, rallying to win the match with a dominant performance.

Freshman players were instrumental in the win, finding their rhythm after initial first-game jitters. The team was led on offense by Martina Sommaruga with 11 kills, with teammates Eboni Thomas and Captain Kambree Meyer contributing 10 and 9 kills, respectively. Libero Brielle Krause served  9 aces, while also picking up 12 digs and passing 16 serves. Setter Cheyenne Hammock was a key playmaker, orchestrating the offense with 25 assists.

"I am very proud of my team earning a win on our home opening night," said Coach Dani Aquino. "With a team full of freshmen, it took a set for them to work through their nervous jitters, but once they settled in, they played cleaner, more in-system volleyball. We've got a lot to work on, but I have high hopes for this team."

Captain Kambree Meyer echoed her coach's sentiment,  "We executed in tonight’s game. Not knowing how the other team would perform, we played well, and although they took one set from us, we came back stronger and defeated them."

Co-Captain Brielle Krause said she was proud of how the team overcame its opening night jitters.  "With all the nerves of our first home game, our girls overcame their jitters almost immediately and came out on top after lots of hard work and hard playing. With this game crushed, we’ll only come back even stronger next time."

The victory marks a strong start to the season for the young USC Salkehatchie squad. They will travel for their next game on Saturday, August 23, to face Davidson Davie CC at 10:00 a.m.

View pictures from the game