SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Down two sets on the road against USC Upstate, the Wofford volleyball team rallied to take sets three and four and force a fifth set in front of an animated crowd Tuesday night at the Hodge Center.
 
After going down 13-10 in the race to 15, Wofford rolled off four straight points to go up 14-13, earning its first chance at completing its second two-set comeback in a week. However, Upstate extended the set on a Callie Yeargin kill and the two sides went toe to toe over the next several points.
 
Both teams were presented with four opportunities to win the match. In the end, it was USC Upstate (12-4) that wound up on top, scoring the final three points of the night to stall the Wofford (7-8) rally (22-25, 17-25, 25-23, 25-22, 20-22).
 
"In a fifth set, against a good team, it can go either way," said head coach Lynze Roos. "I'm proud that we battled back. Of course, we wanted to leave with the win, but I'm glad that we showed some character and some fight.
 
"This early in the season, I think it's important to learn how your team reacts in different situations. We have to learn how to finish, but also not to put ourselves in a situation where we are down two sets."
 
Three Terriers reached double figures in the kill column, led by a season-high 16 from sophomore Bella Santoro. The Greer native also put together her team-leading sixth double-double thanks to a career performance on defense, recording 26 digs to best her previous high of 18 as a freshman.
 
Senior libero Jessica Graham tallied a season-high 30 digs. Freshman middle Colleen Reilly registered her first collegiate double-double with 10 kills and 12 digs, also posting seven blocks to come up three shy of a triple-double.
 
Despite outblocking the Spartans 13-3, Wofford could not come away with the win. USC Upstate negated the advantage by outhitting the Terriers .162 to .139, posting 12 more kills and four more aces. The Spartans had nine aces on the night, marking the most the Terriers have allowed since late August.
 
"Upstate had some really strong servers," Roos added. "We have been a good serve-receive team over the last 14 matches, but tonight we struggled."
 
The Terriers get Southern Conference play started on Friday when they visit Western Carolina. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m., at the Ramsey Center.

Terrier Notes:
- Bella Santoro had a career-high 26 digs.
- Colleen Reilly recorded her first collegiate double-double
- Jessica Graham recorded a season-high 30 digs, her most in a match since last year against USC Upstate.
- Wofford fell to 10-29 in the all-time series vs. USC Upstate, but leads the series 6-3 in the Division I era.