Jackson, Tenn. – Union University Volleyball opened their season with the 2026 Union University Volleyball Classic this past weekend, splitting their four games as Head Coach Emma Carter made her Union coaching debut.
The Lady Bulldogs began the tournament on Thursday, Aug. 27 with a sweep of local rival Lane College. On Friday, they defeated a familiar conference foe, Auburn University at Montgomery, in four sets. The Lady Bulldogs concluded the tournament by losing both games on Saturday. The first loss was to Upper Iowa University (25-20, 12-25, 19-25, 23-25) and the second to Tusculum University (21-25, 15-25, 25-20, 13-25).
This marks the beginning of Carter’s tenure as head coach at Union University. Carter returns to Jackson after serving as the head coach at Davidson-Davie Community College for the last two years. There, she experienced great success, finishing last year with a 33-7 record: an inaugural berth into the NJCAA National Tournament, and District Southeast-A Coach of the Year honors.
Originally hailing from Jackson, Tennessee, Carter graduated from Trinity Christian Academy before attending Johnson University for three years. To be back in Jackson means a lot to her.
“Volleyball is a huge part of my life and I grew up playing at Trinity Christian Academy, so it’s really cool to come home and have family out here watching and everything,” Carter says.
She also found many things to take away from the games last weekend, mentioning how this has been the Lady Bulldogs’ first real test.
“Obviously this is our first look at any kind of live play. There are a lot of things to learn from, a lot of things to clean up and things that we know we need to work on when we get back in the gym.”
The Lady Bulldogs went down early in the first set in their last game of the weekend, against Tusculum University, 11-4. Two aces from junior defensive specialist Sarah-Kate Savage helped fuel a run to tighten the score at 15-14, but then more offensive errors would plague the Lady Bulldogs. They went on to lose the first set 25-21.
The second set was tight after an ace by junior setter Kylie Creech helped Union take the lead 11-10. The ace by Creech was not the only area she impacted the game as she set a career best mark for assists with 36. However, after three aces in a row by AUM, the Lady Warhawks would take the second set 25-15.
In the third set, Union fought back, with Savage racking up a third ace which led the team. Union maintained a tight lead the whole set, winning 25-20 on a kill by junior outside hitter Carleigh Charles who would go on to lead the team in kills with 13.
In the fourth, and eventually final set, the Lady Warhawks got out to an early lead, building a 12-5 lead right out of the gate. The Lady Bulldogs were unable to make a run and lost the set 25-13.
Senior opposite hitter Hannah Hamill had many positives to take away from the weekend, the disappointing results on Saturday notwithstanding. She cited the team’s toughness and fight as things they could pride themselves on, as they fought back to win sets multiple times throughout the weekend. She also mentioned the team’s depth as a strength; with seventeen players on the team this year, the team is much larger than it was last year.
“I think it’s so fun,” Hamill said, when speaking on the team’s depth this year. “We can back each other up, and we have so many different lineups we can play. It’s so good to have the support and that ability to back each other up. I think it’s so fun, and really helpful, actually.”
The Lady Bulldogs will take the floor next on Friday, Sept. 4, as they compete in the Reddie-Tiger Invitational in Arkadelphia, Arkansas this weekend, hoping to build off the success they experienced in the Fred Delay Gymnasium this last weekend.
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