Box Score Box Score (pdf)
 
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Wofford volleyball team hosted Southern Conference-leading Georgia Southern and fell in three sets (25-22, 25-17, 25-21) Saturday afternoon inside Benjamin Johnson Arena.
 
Despite the loss, junior Taylor Baird put down a match-high 15 kills, and senior Bekah Dorsey put together her 11th double-double of the season, finishing the afternoon with 35 assists and 10 digs. Senior Amanda Liguori joined Baird in double-figure kills, knocking down 10, adding nine digs and a block. Sophomore Jessica Graham also finished with a match-high of 14 digs, tying Georgia Southern's Alexandra Beecher.
 
It was not enough to down the Eagles. Ultimately, 21 attack errors to just eight for GSU proved costly. Wofford did have more kills, 43-40, but its .183 attack percentage was more than 100 points lower than Georgia Southern's .286.
 
"We need to play with more heart and more passion," Wofford head coach Ron Sweet said. "We made way too many unforced errors, and will have to correct these issues for next weekend."
 
Wofford (11-16, 5-7 SoCon) suffered its first home loss in exactly a month. Furman beat the Terriers in five on Oct. 2, and Wofford went on to defeat Davidson, NC A&T and, most recently, The Citadel on Friday. Georgia Southern (22-4, 10-2 SoCon) put an end to the streak, redeeming itself from a four-set loss to Furman on Friday in Greenville.
 
The Terriers hold onto the eighth spot in the Southern Conference standings. Wofford entered Saturday a game and a half ahead of ninth-place Davidson, and two games up on tenth-place Chattanooga. After losing falling to Samford in three sets on Saturday, Davidson dropped to 3-8 in league play. The Wildcats play Chattanooga (3-8), Sunday.
 
Baird had a set-high six kills in the opener and the Terriers found themselves level at 21-21, but Georgia Southern scored the next three to earn three set points and win it. The Eagles led most of the way and took their biggest lead of the set at 16-11 on one of Nicole Jeschelnik's team-high 12 kills. A Terrier run ensued, sparked by kills from Liguori and sophomore Liz Buterbaugh. Wofford tied the set for the first time at 17-all, and took its first lead on another Liguori kill to complete a 7-1 run ahead 18-17. The two sides traded points until 21-all and the Eagles ended the set by scoring four of the final five points.
 
The close opening-set defeat seemed to take the take some steam out of the Terriers. After hitting .261 in the first, Wofford hit .091 with 10 attack errors in the second as GSU won comfortably by eight. Coach Sweet took a timeout early as GSU jumped out to a 6-1 lead. The cushion extended to 10 at 16-6, but the Terriers stayed in it and cut the deficit to five with a 6-1 run to make the score 17-12. GSU got it right back, scoring the next three and going on to take the set on Jamie DeRatt's ace.
 
Wofford gathered itself at the break and stayed within striking distance in the third, tying the score five times in the early going. With the score 13-11, Georgia Southern scored four straight points to get itself some space, but the Terriers fought back again to score four in a row of their own. Baird got Wofford back within two again at 20-18 with a kill and a Jeschelnik attack error cut it to just one. Katie Bange responded with a kill for the Eagles and a block from Bange and Crysten Curry on the next point forced a Wofford timeout, trailing 22-19.  Out of the timeout, GSU went up four on another Bange kill, giving itself the space it needed to take the set by four and earn a sweep.
 
The Wofford volleyball team has two very important home matches next weekend, hosting Elon (6-5) on Friday at 7 p.m., and UNCG (7-4) Saturday at 6 p.m.
 
Terrier Notes
- Bekah Dorsey's double-double was her 11th of the season and 41st of her career, leading all active Terriers. It also marked her 11th double-figure-dig match of the season, and her 25th match of 20 or more assists.
- Taylor Baird's match-high 15 kills marked the 21st time this season she has had 10 or more.
- Amanda Liguori's 10 kills marked the 16th time this season she has had 10 or more.
- Jessica Graham had 14 digs, marking her 25th double-figure-dig match of the season.
- Georgia Southern improves to 27-6 all-time versus Wofford, and was won 10 straight meetings since Wofford's last defeated the Eagles in 2008.