Box Score Box Score (pdf)
 
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – With the help of four different Terriers setting career-highs, the Wofford volleyball team took down formerly undefeated Western Carolina, 3-2 (25-17, 27-25, 15-25, 21-25, 15-13), Friday night in Southern Conference action from the Ramsey Center.
 
Wofford (7-12, 2-3 SoCon) rallied from 16-10 down in the second set to grab a two-set lead. Western Carolina (14-5, 4-1 SoCon) came back to win sets three and four by a combined 14 points, but the Terriers pulled through by taking the final two points of a 13-all final set to hand the Catamounts their first Southern Conference defeat.
 
"I thought we did a really good job with our game plan tonight," first-year head coach Ron Sweet said. "We knew what their hitters were going to do and never gave up. I was also very happy with our aggressive serve game.
 
"Certainly, we still have problems in our own game, but overall this was a solid match for us. Winning in five and getting over that barrier was something this team needed to accomplish."
 
The Terriers won just their second five-set match of the season and their first against a Division I opponent. The other came in early September at Converse College, as Wofford improved to 2-5 in five setters.
 
Wofford was outhit .235 to .201, but bested the Catamounts in kills, 71-57. The dig battle was very close, favoring Western 84-83, and the Catamounts outblocked Wofford 14-5. Wofford used eight aces to make up for it and four big performances for its second SoCon victory.
 
The attack was led by junior Taylor Baird who put down a career-high 27 kills while hitting at a blistering .339 (27-6-62) pace. Baird also racked up two blocks and two aces, helping her match a career-high 30 points, which she set three matches ago versus Chattanooga. Baird's 27 kills rank fourth all-time at Wofford for a single match and are the most since Andrea Duke set the Terrier record with 35 over 10 years ago on Aug. 30, 2003 against UNC Wilmington.
 
"Taylor really played well tonight," commend Sweet. "We set her 62 times, which for a right-side hitter is an amazing amount of sets. She really came through in the clutch and played very well through the match, even in the sets we lost."
 
Senior setter Bekah Dorsey followed up last weekend's match, in which she tallied her 3,000th assist, by posting a career-high 67 assists. That amount ranks tied for fourth all-time in Terrier history with Rhea DeJesus (Oct .19, 2003 at ETSU) and is the most in a match since Joanna Suddath had 68 in November of 2007 against The Citadel. Dorsey added 11 digs to notch her eighth double-double of the season and 38th of her career.
 
Sophomore libero Jessica Graham continued her fantastic season, digging out a career-high 34 attacks to tie for fifth all-time in Wofford's single-match records. The 30-plus dig match marked Graham's second of the season and the 34 digs is the most since Caroline Rivers had 35 at USC Upstate in August of 2007.
 
Senior middle blocker Wendy Burnett rounded out the record night, matching a career-high 17 kills which she posted earlier this season at Converse College. Burnett hit .261 on the evening (17-5-46) and put away the most important ace of the night, clinching the close second set.
 
Senior outside hitter Amanda Liguori went for 16 kills and 12 digs, marking her seventh double-double of the season and 28th of her career. Liguori hit .163 (16-8-49), adding one ace.
 
The Terriers began the five-set thriller with an eight-point opening-set victory. A Burnett kill gave Wofford its first lead at 5-4, and Western Carolina would never see the lead the remainder of the set. A 5-2 run gave Wofford an 18-14 advantage and the Terriers closed out the set on a 7-3 run. Burnett led the way in the opener with four kills on eight swings while Dorsey assisted 10 of 13 team kills.
 
The second set saw Wofford trail by six points on two separate occasions, but come all the way back to take a two-set lead. Western Carolina raced out to take four of the first five points and rode that momentum to a 14-8 advantage. Behind 16-10, Liguori put down one of her five kills in the set and the rally was on. Freshman Elizabeth Ouzts served the next six points and used one of her four aces in the match to get the Terriers back within one. It wasn't until 23-22 that Wofford saw its first lead. Ahead 24-22, the Terriers had two set points, but Western scored the next two to even the set at 24. The set then saw its sixth and final tie at 25-all and Burnett took the Terriers the rest of the way with a kill to take a lead and an ace to win the set.
 
Western came out of the locker room hot, hitting .233 and .390 in sets three and four to even the match. Wofford never saw a lead or a tie in the third set, dropping it by 10, and the fourth set saw the Catamounts take a lead at 3-2 and never surrender it. Baird led the Terriers with four kills in the third set and had 10 kills, hitting .450 (10-1-20), in the fourth.
 
The Terriers composed themselves to take the match in a very competitive fifth set. The tiebreak saw the most ties and lead changes of any set of nine ties and five lead changes, and Wofford pulled it out thanks to 10 kills. After struggling all season in five-setters, Wofford jumped out to a 5-1 lead, but WCU rallied to tie the match at seven. The set then saw ties at all points up to 13-13, until a Catamount attack error gave Wofford set-and-match point. WCU took a timeout, but Wofford fended off an attack and Baird sealed the match with her 27th and final kill.
 
The Wofford volleyball team will attempt to improve to .500 in SoCon play on Saturday, traveling to Boone, N.C., to take on Appalachian State (11-8, 2-3 SoCon).
 
Terrier Notes
- Bekah Dorsey's career-high 67 assists ties for fourth all-time at Wofford.
- Dorsey's 67 assists is the most since Joanna Suddath had 68 in 2007 against The Citadel.
- Taylor Baird's career-high 27 kills ranks fourth all-time at Wofford.
- Baird's 27 kills are the most since Andrea Duke set the record with 35 in 2003 against UNCW.
- Baird tied her career-high of 30 points, which ranks fourth all-time at Wofford.
- Jessica Graham had a career-high 34 digs, which ranks fifth all-time at Wofford.
- Graham's 34 digs are the most since Carolina Rivers had 35 at USC Upstate in 2007.
- Wendy Burnett tied her career-high of 17 kills.
- Dorsey posted the 38th double-double of her career, and Amanda Liguori posted her 28th.
- Wofford's 71 kills tie for ninth all-time in a single match.