Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 September 4, 2009

Wofford vs. UMES Box Score
Wofford vs. Gardner-Webb Box Score

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – The Wofford volleyball team opened the 2009 season by splitting a pair of matches on Friday at the Runnin’ Bulldog Classic. The Terriers fell to the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore 3-0 and earned their first win of the season with a 3-2 victory over host Gardner-Webb.

The Terriers opened tournament play with a three-set loss to the UMES Hawks. In the first set, the Hawks took an early 10-6 lead, but the Terriers fought back to within one point, with a kill from Arden Anderson bringing the score to 10-11. Despite a few short runs late in the game, Wofford was not able to catch the Hawks and fell in the first set 22-25.

In set two, UMES again jumped out to an early 7-2 lead before the Terriers were able to mount an attack. A UMES attack error brought the score within two at 10-12, but a 13-5 run by the Hawks put an end to the set with a score of 25-15. The third set saw the Hawks maintain their lead throughout play, ending the match with a 25-20 score.

The Hawks used a strong offense to topple the Terriers, racking up 51 kills and only 13 errors for a .328 attack percentage. The Terriers were unable to match the offensive effort, recording 31 kills and a .179 hitting percentage for the match.

Sophomore Christine Edwards led the Hawks with 17 kills, while Caylin Woodward and Whitney Johnson each added 10. Setter Bella Jade Romero racked up 42 assists, while Karin Vikterlof led the defense with 12 digs.

Junior Stacy Byrd led the Terriers with nine kills and only one error for a .333 attack percentage. Byrd also added two service aces in the loss. Senior Shanna Hughes led the defense with 10 digs and setter Joanna Suddath added 23 assists.

In the second match of the day, the Terriers recovered from their earlier loss to earn an exciting 3-2 comeback win over host Gardner-Webb.

In the first set, Gardner-Webb took a commanding 10-3 lead to open play. Wofford battled back to put the score at 13-8 before again the GWU offense took over, running off seven unanswered points to take a decisive 20-8 lead.

Wofford would score only four more points in the remainder of the first set, as the Lady Bulldogs downed the Terriers 25-12 to take an early 1-0 match lead.

The Lady Bulldogs again got on the board first in set two, this time by way of a kill by Rhyne. The Terriers were able to take their first lead of the match at 3-2 off a GWU attack error, but the Bulldog offense recorded three straight kills to reclaim the lead at 7-3. Gardner-Webb did not allow the Terriers to catch up again, leading by as many as 10 points before claiming the 25-21 win, giving the Bulldogs the 2-0 match advantage.

Set three began the same way, with the Bulldogs taking an early lead. This time, however, the Terriers were able to recover from a four-point deficit to keep the set close. A Sarah Palmer service ace marked the beginning of a 6-0 run for the Terriers, giving the team a 19-14 lead. The Bulldogs answered with a run of their own to tie the score at 20. The next five points saw three ties before a decisive service ace from senior Joanna Suddath gave the Terriers the 25-23 win.

The fourth set saw the teams trading points until Wofford was able to fashion a 5-0 run in the middle of the set to take an 18-12 lead. Despite a Gardner-Webb timeout, the Terriers held on to the lead and took advantage of several Bulldog miscues. A kill from senior Shanna Hughes gave Wofford the 25-16 win and forced the match to a deciding fifth set.

The teams battled through four ties early in the fifth set, before a kill from Stacy Byrd gave the Terriers the 8-7 advantage. Wofford then ran off three straight points before a GWU kill stopped the run at 11-8. A GWU attack error and a service ace from Hughes put Wofford up 13-8, and the Terriers held on to claim a 15-10 set win and a dramatic 3-2 match win. Wofford used a .333 attack percentage (5 kills, 0 errors) to gain the advantage in the fifth set.

Gardner-Webb had four players with double-digit kills, with sophomore Laura Wilcox recording a match-high 15 kills. Setter Regina Feagin notched a match-high 52 assists and added 19 digs. Libero Brett Wilson led the team with 21 digs.

Leading the Terriers’ offense was freshman Arden Anderson, who notched 10 kills while adding 7 total blocks. Setter Joanna Suddath recorded 28 assists and added six kills, while senior Shanna Hughes led the team with six service aces. Freshman libero Reagan Styles led the team with 16 digs, while Stacy Byrd and Sarah Palmer each added 15 defensive saves. The team recorded 11 total blocks during the match.

After opening the season with a loss, the win over Gardner- Webb puts the Terriers at 1-1 for the season. Wofford will face UMES at 12:00 p.m. tomorrow and Gardner-Webb again at 2:00 p.m. to finish play at the 2009 Runnin’ Bulldog Classic.