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# UVA Wise 3, Catawba 2: a fifth-set response settles an uneven contest
- URL: https://www.mayberrysports.com/uva-wise-3-catawba-2-a-fifth-set-response-settles-an-uneven-contest/
- Published: 2026-09-18T00:06:31.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-18T00:06:31.000Z
- Author: Rick Mayberry
- Tags: Women's Volleyball, #report, South Atlantic Conference, UVA Wise, Catawba, #Import 2026-09-18 00:06

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WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL · SEPTEMBER 5, 2026 · RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS

## Executive brief

UVA Wise beat Catawba in five in SAC play on September 5\. The Cavaliers won the decider 15–8 after losing the fourth 26–24\. [\[1\]](#source-1)

## Official results — event profile

| Measure | UVA Wise | Catawba |
| ------- | -------- | ------- |
| Set 1   | 25       | 17      |
| Set 2   | 13       | 25      |
| Set 3   | 25       | 15      |
| Set 4   | 24       | 26      |
| Set 5   | 15       | 8       |
| Kills   | 50       | 47      |
| Aces    | 12       | 6       |
| Digs    | 57       | 48      |

Published results. [\[1\]](#source-1)

## Decisive pattern

Wise hit .423 in the third, then .286 in the fifth. Catawba’s final-set four kills were offset by four attack errors. Wise led 12–6 in aces overall. [\[1\]](#source-1)

## Player impact

Mia Poag and Skye Williams each recorded 13 Wise kills; Riley Brandon had ten. Poag and Madilyn Pardue each served four aces. Abigail Curtis collected 24 digs. Alani Kincaid led Catawba with 12 kills. [\[1\]](#source-1)

## Mayberry’s take

The match swung too widely for one overall average to explain it. Wise recovered from a heavy second-set loss and later from a narrow fourth-set defeat, but those were separate challenges. Its final-set efficiency supplied the decisive answer. For Catawba, forcing a fifth was a meaningful response, while the attack’s loss of productivity in that fifth explains why the recovery stopped short.

## Conference context

This was SAC play, making the result part of the conference record as well as the overall season. One early league match cannot establish the eventual championship order.

## Evidence scope

This retrospective uses official match statistics. It distinguishes documented production from interpretation and does not infer unreported tactics, injuries or coaching decisions.

## Sources

[\[1\] South Atlantic Conference — official box score](https://thesac.com/boxscore.aspx?id=7ltyipP022aUJKmSgYVs3wXi7up73ghniwD5ElWyd07J7BNseBaMQePf0fY%2f3yUPXXSx1TvuuNRbqawoy8ML4mdecijEJRkxtMOOJ66v7dTzXv8I%2fKhPu1hM9Vxk2Zy1m8uKKhQ5tNyPOwGGHQXqtk9y%2fjcNo%2bLF9U%2bAuujrE8I%3d&path=wvball&ref=mayberrysports.com)