Box Score Box score
SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- Four Terriers had double-digit kills for the first time this season, but Wofford fell 3-2 (26-24, 21-25, 25-20, 25-27, 15-13) to visiting Appalachian State Sunday afternoon in Ben Johnson Arena. With the loss Wofford falls to 12-13 overall and 2-6 in the Southern Conference, while App State improves to 14-7 overall and 5-3 in the SoCon.
Wofford received double-digit kills from Amanda Liguori (13 kills), Catelyn Amende (12 kills), Wendy Burnett (11 kills) and Stacy Byrd (11 kills). Liguori paced the team for the second straight match with 13 kills; she also collected 16 digs to earn a double-double. Bekah Dorsey also earned a double-double with 38 assists and 12 digs. Burnett’s 11 kills came on 26 swings with two errors for a .346 hitting percentage. Amende had a match-high 18.5 total points as she added seven total blocks, two solo blocks and five block assists, to go along with her 12 kills. Burnett and Arden Anderson led the team with eight total blocks as each recorded eight block assists. Reagan Styles had a team-high 18 digs.
For the Mountaineers, Anna Wagner led the team with 14 kills and 19 digs, while Maggie Seeds and Alison Blasingame added 12 kills and ten kills respectively. Kasey Sauls handed out 34 assists and picked up ten digs for a double-double. Courtney Rhein collected a match-high 23 digs, while Blasingame paced ASU with eight total blocks with two solo blocks and six block assists.
The match saw 42 ties and 17 lead changes, 15 of these ties and five of the lead changes came in the opening set of the match. Neither team could pull away with more than a two point lead. Wofford took a 22-20 lead late in the set and held the two point advantage until 24-22. The Mountaineers fought off two set points to tie the match at 24. Caroline Sedon’s service ace tie the set then gave ASU a 25-24 before a Wagner kill ended the set in the Mountaineers favor, 26-24.
The second set was the only set that never had a lead change and only saw two ties, as the Terriers evened the match with a 25-21 set two win. Wofford jumped out to a 9-3 lead as Styles and Dorsey served ten of the first 12 points. The Mountaineers rallied to to cut the Wofford lead to 13-11 and eventually tied the match at 14. With the match tied at 15, Wofford used an Amende kill and two App State attack errors gave to regain the lead, 18-15. App State made a run at the lead, but a Liguori kill extended the Wofford lead to 19-17 to solidify the Terrier win. Liguori had five kills in the set, while Wofford outhit App State, .243 to .098.
In set three, the Mountaineers returned the favor with a 25-20 win. The Mountaineers broke an 18-18 tie with a 7-2 run to close out the set. App State took advantage of four Wofford errors and a service ace in the set-clinching run. The Mountaineers had 21 points compared to Wofford’s 15 in the set.
Set four was another back-and-forth set as there were 14 ties and seven lead changes. Facing the end of the match, and down six, 12-6, Wofford used four attack errors and kills by Byrd and Dorsey to tie the match at 12. Thirteen of the set’s 14 ties came over the next 26 points as neither team could take control of the match. Wofford fought off a match point at 25-24 on a kill from Amende to tie the set at 25. A kill by Burnett forced a Mountaineer timeout at 26-25, Wofford. Following an App State timeout, Liguori ended the set with a kill to give Wofford the 27-25 win forcing a decisive set five. Burnett, Amende and Byrd had four kills in the set as Wofford had 17 kills and 21 points in the set.
In set five, Wofford jumped out to an early 4-1 lead on three errors by the Mountaineers. However it would be the Terriers errors that would cost them the 15-13 set loss ending the match in App State’s favor. Wofford had four service errors and in the crucial set. The Terriers out hit the Mountaineers .357 to .050 and won the battle at the net with four team blocks to one team block, but it wasn’t enough to overcome their serving errors.
Overall Wofford held a 19 to 14.5 total team block advantage. It was the team’s highest blocking output of the season and ranked them third all-time in blocks in a five-set match and overall matches in a single season.
Wofford will take a break from SoCon play as they host East Tennessee State University Wednesday, October 20th in Ben Johnson Arena for their next match.
