The Shadow
ATHENS, Tenn. — WVU Tech volleyball opened the 2026 season Saturday with a strong start on the road, taking the first set from Tennessee Wesleyan before the Bulldogs rallied for a 3-1 decision at James L. Robb Gymnasium.
The Golden Bears (0-1) earned a 25-23 victory in a back-and-forth opening set before Tennessee Wesleyan took the next three, 25-17, 25-14 and 25-15.
Tech found itself down 14-10 midway through the first before working its way back. Ivana Burgos put down a kill to make it 15-13 before a Tennessee Wesleyan attack error and an Addison White service ace evened the score at 15.
The teams remained close from there and were tied at 17 before Tech scored four of the next five points to build a 21-18 advantage. Aniston Treadway put the Golden Bears back in front with a kill at 19-18 before back-to-back Bulldog attack errors stretched the lead to three.
Freshman Ashlinn Sullivan added a kill for a 22-19 edge and Burgos followed with another to make it 23-20. Tennessee Wesleyan pulled within one at 24-23, but a service error on the next point gave the Golden Bears the opening set.
Tennessee Wesleyan jumped ahead 5-1 in the second, but Tech quickly responded. Hailey Ervin provided a spark from the service line, recording two aces during a run that turned a 10-8 deficit into an 11-10 Golden Bear lead. The Bulldogs regained the advantage with four straight points and went on to take the set, 25-17.
Tech again showed some fight after an early deficit in the third. Trailing 12-7, the Golden Bears used back-to-back kills from Treadway and a service ace from Ervin to pull within two at 12-10. Tennessee Wesleyan answered with a run of its own and went on to take the set, 25-14.
The teams traded points early in the fourth and were tied at 4 before Tennessee Wesleyan began to create separation. Tech continued to find production from several players, with Treadway, Sullivan, Burgos and White all recording kills during the set before the Bulldogs closed out the match, 25-15.
Treadway led the Golden Bear offense with 12 kills and a .200 hitting percentage, finishing with a team-high 12.5 points. Burgos added eight kills while Sullivan put down seven in her WVU Tech debut.
White directed the offense with 15 assists to go with nine digs, two kills and a service ace. Anaís González added eight assists and finished with a team-high 10 digs, while Blanca Marbà de Sivatte also collected nine digs.
Ervin paced Tech from the service line with three aces and added six digs.
Five freshmen saw action in the season opener, including Sullivan, Riana Berkley, Macie Smith, Rachel Hurley and Ashlynn Whitt.
As a team, WVU Tech finished with 35 kills, 31 assists, four service aces and 51 digs. The Golden Bears hit .188 in their first-set victory and .067 for the match.
What’s next
WVU Tech heads to Fort Wayne, Ind., for four matches at the On-Set Tournament beginning Friday, Aug. 21. The Golden Bears open tournament play against Ohio Christian University at 2:30 p.m. before facing Marian University at 7:15 p.m. Tech returns Saturday, Aug. 22, for matches against Mount Vernon Nazarene University at 10:45 a.m. and Defiance College at 3 p.m.
2026 season leaders
Through Aug. 15
- Kills: Aniston Treadway, 12
- Assists: Addison White, 15
- Digs: Anaís González, 10
- Service aces: Hailey Ervin, 3
- Points: Aniston Treadway, 12.5
