CLEMSON, S.C. – It was déjà vu for Wofford and William & Mary on Saturday. The last time the two sides met on the volleyball court was two years ago, also at a tournament hosted by Clemson, and the Terriers dropped sets one and three before rallying for a five-set victory.
 
In the same gym, on the same court, nearly two years later, Wofford dropped sets one and three to William & Mary. Once again, just as they did in September of 2014, the Terriers came back to win sets four and five, earning their first win of the 2016 season in dramatic fashion (13-25, 28-26, 13-25, 25-17, 16-14) to begin Day 2 of Clemson's Big Orange Bash.
 
"Getting the first win was really big for so many of our young players," said head coach Lynze Roos, whose roster includes eight freshmen, accounting for nearly half of the team. "I think they are starting to recognize and realize how hard it is to win at the collegiate level."
 
Wofford (1-1) closed the match in style by hitting .647 with 13 kills in the final set alone. After taking a 5-2 lead in the fifth, the Terriers gave up six straight points to fall behind 8-5. They were able to settle in and leveled the tiebreak at 10, and the two teams traded the next eight points to bring the final set to 14-all. Sophomore Bijonae Jones put down a kill to present the Terriers with their first match point, and it was all they needed as Casey Foote's final attack for William & Mary did not land in play.
 
"We went out fearless," Roos added. "It's one thing to be fearless and smart and another to be fearless and reckless. I think our two freshmen setters handled that fifth set really well, especially knowing that William & Mary was coming off a huge 5-set win last night against Clemson."
 
The Tribe (1-1) also led Clemson 2-1 after three sets Friday night, but were able to finish off the Tigers in five on their home floor. Foote led the way in that match with 15 kills, but was limited to just 11 with a .108 attack percentage against the Terriers.
 
Jones led Wofford in both kills and digs for a second straight outing. This time, she doubled her output with a career-high 14 kills (.289), while also matching her career-high of 13 digs. It marked the sophomore's first collegiate double-double.
 
Sophomore Colleen Reilly impressed with 12 kills (.207) and five blocks. Freshman Catie Cronister posted 10 kills (.421) to go with five aces and a block, while fellow freshman Kara Shacklette had 11 kills (.500) and two blocks. Reilly, Cronister and Jones led the Terriers with 15.5 points apiece.
 
Other notable performances came from freshman setter Lorissa King and freshman libero Madeline Savage. King tallied her first 40-assist match and added seven digs, while Savage matched Jones' team-high 13 digs.
 
The second set may have been the key to the match. After William & Mary won a convincing first set, the two teams played to 19 ties and nine lead changes in the second. Wofford took the first three-point lead, 13-10, but the Tribe quickly erased it with the next four points to go back on top. The Terriers rebuilt another three-point lead at 20-17, only to see the Tribe respond again with three straight to tie things up at 20.
 
Tied at 22, William & Mary scored two straight to earn two set points. A Reilly kill saved the first and Jones slammed her fourth of the set to level the score at 24. Wofford faced a third set point down 25-24, but again, Reilly came to the rescue with a kill.
 
Reilly and Jones turned the tide on the next point as they blocked Paige Humphrey to put the Terriers on top, 26-25. William & Mary saved the first set point, but Jones quickly got it back with a kill. Presented with their second opportunity to win the set, the Terriers put it away on Shacklette's fourth kill of the set.
 
"It was a really fun set," Roos said. "William & Mary is such a scrappy team. They didn't quit on any ball. To come out on top in set two sent us into the locker room with a lot of momentum and confidence."
 
William & Mary rebounded with another convincing win in set three, but Wofford answered right back by never trailing on its way to a 25-17 win in set four.
 
"I think the adjustment from high school and club ball to college is that your errors are magnified," Roos went on to say. "You are only playing that one match and not several over the course of two days. I think some of our younger players need to get their focus switched to that one match and not a whole tournament."
 
Wofford now gets set for its final match of the Big Orange Bash tonight against Clemson. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m., and the contest will air online via ACC Network Extra.