WALTHAM, Ma. -- The Barry University Women's Volleyball team opened the season at the Sandy Hoffman Memorial Tournament hosted by Bentley at the Dana Center on Thursday afternoon. The Bucs took on Central Missouri and fell in the four-set match after taking the first set, dropping sets two through four.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: (RV) Central Missouri 3, #6 Barry 1
Records: Barry (0-1), Central Missouri (1-0)
All-Time Series: UCM leads series 4-2
SUMMARY:
- Set One – The Buccaneers opened the match with two straight points as Varvara Osychenko recorded the first kill of the 2026 season. Barry extended their lead with six straight points as Veronika Eremeeva, Ivana Zujovic, and Osychenko all collected a kill. Thalia Iglesias and Zujovic teamed up for the block that was the final point of the rally. It was smooth sailing the rest of the set as Frankie Good closed it out with kill for the match lead. | Barry 25, UCM 15
- Set Two – In a turn of momentum, UCM scored first and rallied off three straight points. Barry was able to have a short comeback that tied it up at six all. It was a back-and-forth affair until the Mules pulled away at 10-7 and took the set the rest of the way. UCM hit .387, while holding Barry to .000. | UCM 25, Barry 12
- Set Three – Trying to flip the table back on their side, Eremeeva and Layla Pelly teamed up for the block to kick off set three. It was a race to the finish as both teams aimed to take the match lead. Barry held set point but were unable to close as the. Mules rallied off for three consecutive points to take the 2-1 lead winning the set in deuce. It was an offensive showdown as both teams hit over .300, however UCM had the 21-12 kill advantage in the set, which was ultimately the difference maker. | UCM 26, Barry 24
- Set Four – The final set had the Mules in control from start to finish. They had another offensive surge with 18 kills, while swinging .375. The Bucs had 11 kills, but did lead with two blocks. | UCM 25, Barry 19
NOTEWORTHY:
- This was the first matchup since 2019 between the teams.
- The Buccaneers offense exploded for a match-high .519 swing percentage in the first set.
- Barry led statistically in blocks and aces at 5-4 each. The defense was nearly even on the backrow with UCM taking the slight edge at 51-50.
- Eremeeva led the way with 17 kills and two blocks.
- Osychenko was right behind with 13 kills and nine digs.
- Kae Sato made her Buccaneer debut as the libero with eight digs.
- Sofya Toropova led the defense with 13 digs for a career high.
- Iglesias led the setting duties with 32 assists.
ON THE HORIZON:
The Buccaneers will continue at the Sandy Hoffman Memorial Tournament and will play Grand Valley State at 12:30pm on Friday afternoon.
