Boston College volleyball keeps rolling, and now the Eagles get a fresh test in the ACC/SEC Showdown at the Net.
BC will host Vanderbilt at the Margot Connell Recreation Center on Sept. 9, with the matchup set to be the first meeting between the programs. Vanderbilt arrives unbeaten at 5-0, while Boston College has opened the 2026 season with the same spotless record after another strong weekend at home.
The Eagles’ latest run came in the Boston College Invitational, where they handled Stonehill 3-0, then beat Bucknell 3-0, and closed by taking down New Hampshire 3-1. Audrey Ross led the way against Stonehill with 14 kills, while Lucie Vesela made her debut for BC.
Against Bucknell, Boston College turned the first set into a rout, winning it 25-3, and Sofija Marjanovic matched a career high for the fourth time with three service aces. In the finale against UNH, Sam Hoppes finished with a career-high 17 kills and Reese Dunkle added a career-best 11 as the Eagles stayed unbeaten.
Vesela also posted a team-high 23 assists in that win.
That 5-0 start is nothing new for Boston College under head coach Jason Kennedy. The Eagles are 5-0 for the second straight season and the fifth time overall in his tenure.
Vanderbilt, meanwhile, has put together a clean opening stretch of its own. The Commodores opened with straight-set wins over Charleston and Memphis, swept Maryland, beat Rutgers 3-1 in the Big Ten/SEC Challenge, and then finished their home stand with another 3-0 sweep, this one against Samford on Sunday.
This year’s meeting comes in the second season of the Showdown at the Net, the ACC/SEC volleyball challenge. Boston College took part last year and came away with a five-set win over Arkansas.
Audrey Ross finished that match with a team-high 12 kills and 13 digs, and Sam Hoppes added five kills and total blocks. The ACC had the stronger overall showing in the event, with nine teams picking up wins.
Boston College also enters the week with several names near the top of the ACC statistical charts. Through six sets, the Eagles rank first in opponent assists per set at 8.88, third in hitting percentage at .302, and fifth in service aces per set at 1.81.
Ross sits second in the conference in kills per set at 4.88 and points per set at 5.53. Dunkle ranks fourth in hitting percentage at .412. Marjanovic’s 0.63 service aces per set is third-best in the ACC, while Brooklyn Yelland is right behind her at 0.56 and also ranks tenth in digs per set at 3.63.
Wednesday’s match will also be the Red Bandanna Game, honoring Welles Crowther ’99, who died in the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Known as “The Man in the Red Bandanna,” Crowther is remembered for saving over a dozen lives in the South Tower of the World Trade Center.
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Boston College heads into its 2026 home game against Rutgers with both teams trying to avoid an 0-2 start, and the matchup comes with a little extra weight because it lands just before the Red Bandanna Game. For the Eagles, it is the kind of early-season test that can quickly change the mood around a program, especially with a Big Ten opponent coming to Chestnut Hill and plenty of attention already building around the setting.
Rutgers is not arriving without intrigue, either. Greg Schiano has already altered the quarterback picture, and the Scarlet Knights will also lean on an offense that showed real bite in its opener, especially through receiver KJ Duff and back Raymond. For Boston College, the challenge is not just about handling a team looking to rebound, but about doing it against a group that has already shown it can create problems in more than one way. [Read more 🡒]
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The bigger measuring stick comes two days later against a Harvard team that is loaded with experience and carries national respect into the matchup. For the Eagles, the back-to-back tests offer an early read on how steady the defense can be, how much it can trust Kramer in goal, and how ready this group is to handle a weekend that should say plenty about where it stands. [Read more 🡒]
Boston College Faces An Emotional Spotlight After A Troubling Opener
Boston Colleges trip into a Sept. 11 matchup with Rutgers comes with more than the usual early-season baggage. Both teams are trying to steady themselves after rough openers, and the game will land on the 25th anniversary of 9/11, a date that still carries enormous weight in New Jersey and Boston alike. The Eagles also will be part of the days broader tribute atmosphere, with special uniforms and pregame recognition expected to frame a matchup that is about far more than the standings in September.
For Boston College, the football questions are intertwined with the emotional backdrop. The program will honor Welles Crowther, whose legacy remains one of the most meaningful connections between the school and the day being remembered, while Rutgers will pay tribute to alumni lost in the attacks. On the field, the Eagles are still searching for a cleaner start after last week, and the challenge now is handling a difficult, solemn stage without letting the moment swallow the football. [Read more 🡒]