New College of Florida Volleyball continued its historic start to the 2026 season, going a perfect 4-0 at the La Tribu Invitational at Life University in Marietta, Georgia to improve to 7-0, the best start in program history.
The Mighty Banyans opened the weekend Friday with a 3-1 victory over William Carey before battling past Reinhardt in five sets later that evening. NCF returned Saturday to sweep Point before closing the tournament with a 3-1 victory over Johnson (Tenn.).
NCF exits Marietta at a perfect 7-0 on the campaign after winning 12 of its 16 sets during the tournament.
HOW IT HAPPENED
NCF 3, WILLIAM CAREY 1
The Mighty Banyans opened the La Tribu Invitational by defeating William Carey for the second time in seven days, 28-30, 25-22, 25-21, 25-16.
After dropping an extended opening set 30-28, NCF responded by winning three consecutive sets. The Mighty Banyans evened the match with a 25-22 victory in the second, took control with a 25-21 win in the third and closed out the match 25-16 in the fourth.
Soraya Nacero led the NCF attack with 20 kills while hitting .441 and adding eight digs. Wiktoria Telecka added 14 kills and five service aces, while Addison Phillippe recorded 46 assists, five kills, four solo blocks and two aces. Khalia Horta led NCF with 15 digs.
NCF 3, REINHARDT 2
NCF faced its toughest test of the weekend Friday night, outlasting Reinhardt in five sets, 21-25, 25-21, 25-17, 16-25, 15-12.
After dropping the opening set, the Mighty Banyans responded by taking back-to-back sets to move ahead 2-1. Reinhardt forced a decisive fifth with a 25-16 victory in the fourth, but NCF answered when it mattered most.
The Mighty Banyans recorded 12 kills in the fifth set and hit .250 to secure the 15-12 victory and move to 5-0.
Telecka powered the offense with 23 kills, while Nacero added 16 kills and four service aces. Phillippe finished with 51 assists and 11 digs, while Horta anchored the defense with a season-high 23 digs.
NCF 3, POINT 0
The Mighty Banyans carried their unbeaten start into Saturday with a dominant sweep of Point, 25-10, 25-21, 25-20.
NCF set the tone immediately, hitting .591 with 14 kills and just one attacking error in a 25-10 opening-set victory. The Mighty Banyans followed with wins of 25-21 and 25-20 to complete their second sweep of the season.
NCF finished the match hitting .320 while holding Point to .152.
Telecka recorded 15 kills while hitting .355, while Nacero finished with 11 kills, 10 digs and five service aces. Phillippe dished out 36 assists and added three aces, while Horta recorded 15 digs. Jessica McKee and Katelyn Pulver combined for eight kills without an attacking error, hitting .571 and .667, respectively.
NCF 3, JOHNSON 1
NCF closed its perfect weekend by overcoming an opening-set loss to defeat Johnson (Tenn.) 18-25, 25-17, 25-15, 25-14.
After Johnson took the opener, the Mighty Banyans quickly flipped the match. NCF hit .414 in the second set to even the contest before taking the third 25-15 and the fourth 25-14 to complete its fourth victory of the weekend.
Telecka closed the tournament with 21 kills while hitting .381. Nacero added 11 kills on a .435 hitting percentage, while Phillippe recorded 43 assists. Horta finished with 17 digs and a season-high six service aces, while Madison Goin added seven kills and four aces.
THE TURNING POINTS
VS. WILLIAM CAREY: After falling 30-28 in a marathon opening set, NCF never dropped another. The Mighty Banyans won three straight sets, including a convincing 25-16 fourth, to defeat William Carey for the second consecutive weekend.
VS. REINHARDT: With the match tied 2-2, NCF delivered in the decisive fifth set. The Mighty Banyans recorded 12 kills and hit .250 to edge Reinhardt 15-12 and preserve their undefeated start.
VS. POINT: NCF wasted no time taking control, hitting .591 with 14 kills and only one attacking error in a dominant 25-10 first-set victory.
VS. JOHNSON: After dropping the opening set, NCF responded by hitting .414 in a 25-17 second-set victory. The Mighty Banyans never looked back, outscoring Johnson 75-46 over the final three sets to finish the weekend undefeated.
BY THE NUMBERS
7-0
NCF's record to begin the 2026 season, marking the best start in program history.
.320
NCF's hitting percentage in Saturday's sweep of Point, its best mark in a match this season.
.591
The Mighty Banyans' hitting percentage in the opening set against Point, recording 14 kills with just one attacking error.
12
Service aces recorded by NCF in each of Friday's victories over William Carey and Reinhardt.
3
Comeback victories after dropping the opening set during the four-match weekend.
WEEKEND STAT LEADERS
Kills: Wiktoria Telecka - 73
Assists: Addison Phillippe - 176
Digs: Khalia Horta - 70
Service Aces: Khalia Horta - 10
Total Points: Wiktoria Telecka - 83.5
UP NEXT: NCF returns to action next weekend for its final non-conference tournament of the season, competing Friday and Saturday at the Florida College Labor Day Classic in Temple Terrace. The Mighty Banyans will face Life University and tournament host Florida College on Friday before taking on Wiley University on Saturday.
