Fayetteville State University Athletics

MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. - Fayetteville St. opened the 2026 volleyball season with a statement victory Friday afternoon, rallying past nationally ranked Wingate in five sets (25-16, 19-25, 12-25, 25-17, 15-9) at the Mount Olive Pickle Invitational inside Kornegay Arena.
 
The Broncos improved to 1-0 on the season after defeating the Bulldogs, who entered the tournament ranked No. 13 nationally and saw their record fall to 2-1.
 
Mya Hejl paced the Broncos' attack with a team-high 10 kills while hitting an efficient .471 and adding three block assists. Leticia Neves Nascimento contributed eight kills, while Kemyah Harris added seven kills and three block assists.
 
The Broncos received balanced production throughout the lineup. Kyla Powell finished with six kills, two blocks and a service ace, while McKenna Miller chipped in five kills. Freshman setter Melissa Gonzalez directed the offense with 21 assists, a match-high six service aces and 10 digs. Jasmine Culp added nine assists, three aces and a team-leading 16 digs.
 
After controlling the opening set behind a strong service attack, Fayetteville State built a 1-0 lead. The Broncos recorded six service aces in the first frame and held Wingate to a .063 hitting percentage en route to the convincing 25-16 win.
 
Wingate answered by taking the next two sets, hitting .353 in both the second and third frames to claim a 2-1 advantage. The Bulldogs appeared poised to close out the match after a dominant 25-12 third-set victory.
 
Facing defeat, the Broncos responded with their most complete effort of the afternoon in the fourth set. Fayetteville State used four service aces and held Wingate to a .188 attacking percentage while pulling away late for a 25-17 victory to force a deciding fifth set.
 
The momentum carried into the final stanza as the Broncos raced to an early lead and never looked back. Fayetteville State scored the opening three points of the set and finished the upset with a 15-9 triumph, limiting Wingate to just four kills and a .059 hitting percentage in the fifth set.
 
Defensively, Fayetteville State totaled 57 digs and recorded 16 service aces, compared to 11 by Wingate. The Broncos also held the Bulldogs to just nine points in the decisive fifth set to secure one of the program's biggest opening-day victories in recent memory.
 
Wingate was led by Rylee Tanner's match-high 18 kills, while Abby Mas added 13 kills.
 
Fayetteville State returns to action later in the Mount Olive Pickle Invitational looking to build on its impressive season-opening win.
  Read Full Article