GREENVILLE, N.C. – Bethune-Cookman Volleyball begins the 2026 season on the road as the Wildcats take part in the Pirate Invitational hosted by East Carolina in Greenville, North Carolina. The Wildcats will play three matches at Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum, including games against Hampton, ECU, and Radford.


 
MATCH #1: Bethune-Cookman Wildcats vs. Hampton Pirates
WHEN: Friday, Aug. 29, at 2 p.m.
WHERE: Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum (Greenville, N.C.)
 
MATCH #2: Bethune-Cookman Wildcats at East Carolina Pirates
WHEN: Friday, Aug. 28, at 7 p.m.
WHERE: Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum (Greenville, N.C.)
WATCH: Click Here
LIVE STATS: Click Here
 
MATCH #3: Bethune-Cookman Wildcats vs Radford Highlanders
WHEN: Saturday, Aug. 39, at 4 p.m.
WHERE: Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum (Greenville, N.C.)

 
NEWS & NOTES
▪ Bethune-Cookman enters the season picked to finish sixth in the SWAC Preseason poll as voted on by coaches and sports information directors around the league.
▪ Sophomore Kaleigh Williams was recently named to the All-SWAC First Team and was chosen as the Preseason Blocker of the Year.
▪ Williams finished with 123.0 total blocks on the season and led the SWAC with 105 block assists while averaging 1.14 blocks per set. She also added 134 kills, 59 digs, and 32 service aces.
▪ This is the second straight season the Wildcats have opened in North Carolina. B-CU openeed last season at the Aggie/Phoenix Invitational, going 2-1 against North Carolina A&T, Coppin State, and Elon.
▪ Bethune-Cookman finished fourth in the SWAC last season for the second consecutive year. The Wildcats broke the program record with nine consecutive wins during the campaign.
▪ Along with Williams, the Wildcats return Taylor Ellis, Sienna Lawrence, Gianna Mora, and Nola Hemphill from last year's squad.
▪ Among the transfers is Alaya Rhodes, who was named the 2025 SWAC Freshman of the Year during her lone season with Mississippi Valley State.



Hampton
The Hampton Pirates were picked to finish 11th out of 11 teams in the CAA Preseason Poll. They are coming off a season in which they finished 1-26 overall and went winless in conference play. The Pirates will look to avoid dropping a 23rd straight contest dating back to September of last year.

Hampton will field a more experienced roster this season after featuring just one upperclassman the year prior. Of the notable returners is Sophomore Racquel Frazier, who led the Pirates in kills with 232. Juniors Katerina Pappa and Maria Clara Andrade also return, the latter of whom led the squad with 147 digs.

B-CU aims to even the all-time series against the Pirates at eight wins apiece. The two programs last met in 2017, with Hampton coming away with a four-set victory.

East Carolina
ECU was voted to finish eighth in the American Conference this season. The Pirates went 12-15 last season with a 4-12 mark within the conference. They will look to get off to another fast start after opening the 2025 campaign with seven straight wins.

The Pirates are returning outside hitter Angeles Alderete and setter Taryn Gilreath from last season, both of whom appeared on the Preseason All-Conference Team. Alderete missed all of last season with an injury but has been named All-Conference multiple times and won Freshman of the Year in 2022. She has accumulated over 1000 kills and nearly 1000 digs during her career.

The junior Gildreath led the team with 767 assists in 2025 while also ranking top five in digs and service aces. She was named to the All-Freshman Team in 2024.

The Wildcats are 0-4 all-time against East Carolina. The last time the two teams met was 2023 in Greenville.

Radford
Radford was chosen sixth out of eight total teams in the Big South Preseason Poll. The Highlanders achieved a 10-20 overall record and finished 5-9 in conference play. They particularly struggled at neutral site tournaments, going just 1-5.

None of Radford's returning players were named to the Preseason All-Conference Team. Outside hitter Olivia Ryno will suit up again for the Highlanders this season after finishing with a team-high 211 kills in 2025. Middle blocker Taryn Roberts also returns, looking to build on her team-high 77.0 blocks from last year.

Bethune-Cookman has faced Radford just once in the program's history. The Highlanders won that contest in three sets back in 2019.



 
Follow Bethune-Cookman Volleyball on Twitter (@BCUVolleyball) and Instagram (@BCUVolleyball) for all of the latest news and updates. For all Bethune-Cookman Athletics news, follow us on Twitter (@BCUAthletics), Instagram (@BCU_Athletics) and BCUathletics.com.