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DURHAM, N.C. – The Wofford College volleyball team opened the 2014 season on Friday night against Valparaiso as part of the NCCU Invitational, and was edged by the Crusaders in four sets (23-25, 16-25, 28-26, 20-25), inside McDougald-McLendon Gym.
 
The young Terriers – a team which boasts 10 freshmen – battled toe-to-toe with Valpo the whole way. Wofford topped the Crusaders by 12 in the kill column and played fairly even on the ground and on the block, but were not as consistent. Valparaiso had just nine attack errors in the match to Wofford's 24, and the Terriers also suffered from 20 serving errors to Valpo's 10.
 
"I think we did some really good things today, but we made a lot of freshmen errors," said head coach Ron Sweet, beginning his second season at the helm. "We played a little tight because I think we were a little nervous. We'll grow from this and hopefully put the first-match jitters behind us."
 
Serving errors proved costly. Tied at 23 in the first set, Wofford handed Valpo set point with its fifth unsuccessful serve. The Crusaders converted with a block to take a one-set lead.
 
After Valpo – picked to finish second in the Horizon League in the preseason coaches' poll – ran away with the second, the Terriers regrouped and fought out the third. Facing match point down 24-22, Wofford rattled off three straight to take a 25-24 lead. Valpo never regained the lead and freshman Danni Densford put down the kill to win the set.
 
Wofford used the momentum and built a 13-11 lead in the fourth, only to see Valpo finish the set on a 15-8 run to win the match.
 
Senior Taylor Baird picked up right where she left off last season. The 2013 All-Southern Conference selection hit .425 with a match-high 20 kills. She added an ace and two block assists to also walk away with a match-high 22 points.
 
"For most people's standards, she played pretty well, but I know she is capable of more," Sweet said. "I know she had 20 kills and hit over .400, but seeing what she is capable of every day in practice, she could have done more. I don't want her to limit her potential." 
 
Freshman Bella Santoro went for a double-double in her collegiate debut. The Riverside High product had 15 kills on a match-high 49 attack attempts, along with 10 digs.
 
Junior Jessica Graham led the defense with a match-high 29 digs. Baird, junior Liz Buterbaugh and freshmen Molly Mayo and Alex Holland each had two blocks. Mayo went for 44 assists in her collegiate debut as the team's setter.
 
For Valpo, Emily Campbell had a team-high 13 kills to finish just ahead of Kelsey Victor's 12. Morganne Longoria went for 23 digs, while Kelsey Berrington had 11 and 35 assists for a double-double.
 
The first set of the 2014 season played very close. The Terriers took the first two points on back-to-back kills from Baird and led 4-2 before Valpo went on a 6-0 run. The Crusaders held the lead until Baird put down two more kills to make it 13 all. The set then saw ties at 14, 15, 16 and 17, until two Valpo points gave the Crusaders just a little space. Again, Wofford responded and scored two straight, capped by a Densford kill, to tie the set at 23. Wofford's fifth service error of the set followed and the more experienced Crusaders capitalized to take the first. Baird finished the opener with six kills.
 
Wofford cut down on the serving errors in the second, but had its worst attacking set of the match. The Terriers hit just .083 while Valpo came in at .314. The lead changed hands just once when Valparaiso scored consecutive points to go up 2-1, and it never looked back. An 8-3 run gave the Crusaders a 14-7 lead, and four straight later on made it 18-9. Campbell and Victor each went for five kills.
 
The third saw the Terriers commit nine serving errors, but they compensated with their best attacking set of the night of .346 (22-4-52). There were 10 ties, five lead changes and lots of momentum swings. One of Santoro's set-high eight kills put Wofford in front 12-9, only to see Valpo respond with seven of the next eight for a 16-13 advantage. The Terriers traded points and slowly dug into the lead, but faced match point down 24-22. This time, the Crusaders made the mistakes, committing two straight errors to put Wofford back level. Valpo took a timeout after the Terriers made it three straight points for its first attempt at a set, but Wofford prevailed on one of Densford's seven kills in the match.
 
The Terriers used the momentum to jump ahead 13-11 in the fourth, but the rally stalled. The Crusaders went on a 10-1 run which saw Coach Sweet burn both of his timeouts. The run reached its peak when Valpo scored its seventh straight point for a 21-14 stranglehold.
 
The Wofford volleyball team continues the NCCU Invitational tomorrow, playing back-to-back matches against Campbell and NC Central. The Terriers take on the Camels at 10 a.m., followed by the host Eagles around 1 p.m.