SPARTANBURG, S.C. – On Tuesday night, the Wofford volleyball team was defeated 3-2 (22-25, 25-18, 26-24, 27-29, 12-15) by USC Upstate at Benjamin Johnson Arena. The Spartans won the first and fourth sets, while the Terriers won the second and third sets. In the fifth set, the Spartans never trailed to take it 15-12.
 
Wofford is now 7-7 on the season, while USC Upstate is 7-9 overall. The Terriers were led by Lorissa King with a double-double of 44 assists and 10 digs, while Madeline Savage had 23 digs. Catie Cronister and Colleen Reilly each had 16 kills, with Cronister adding 20 digs for a double-double. The team had a .122 attack percentage, while the Spartans were at .137. USC Upstate was led by Madison Haake with 43 assists and 19 digs. Callie Yeargin had 14 digs and 14 kills.
 
The Terriers took an early 9-4 lead in the first set. The Spartans closed the gap to 12-11 and then tied the set at 13. USC Upstate had their first lead at 15-14, but the Terriers tied it at 15 and 16. With the Spartan lead at 18-16, the Terriers called time out. USC Upstate was able to build on the advantage at 23-18, but Wofford answered with three straight points to make it 23-21. The Spartans scored three of the next four points for a 25-22 win in the set.
 
In the second set, the score was tied and then Wofford had three straight points for a 6-3 lead. The Terriers had a 9-7 advantage that grew to 16-9, which included four straight points with Kara Shacklette serving. The Spartans rallied and cut the lead to 17-15 before a Wofford time out. After scoring five of the next six points, Wofford took a 22-16 lead and the Spartans called time out. USC Upstate took the next two points, but two straight by the Terriers made it set point and a kill by Alex Holland gave Wofford a 25-18 win.
 
To begin the third set, the teams were tied at three before the Spartans took a 6-3 lead. USC Upstate extended the advantage to 10-6 before Wofford scored four straight points and were able to tie the score at 10 and 11. Five straight points by the Spartans gave them a 16-11 lead before a service error ended the run. The score was 18-15 in favor of the Spartans, but the Terriers were able to pull to 20-19. Two straight points by the Spartans were answered by four straight by Wofford to take a 23-22 lead. The set was tied at 23 and 24 when an attack error by the Spartans gave Wofford set point. An assist by Lorissa King and kill by Alex Holland secured a 26-24 victory.
 
Wofford took an 8-6 lead in the fourth set, but the Spartans were able to gain the lead at 11-9. USC Upstate extended the advantage to 18-13 and reached 20-15. After trading points, the Terriers scored three straight for a 21-19 game. The teams traded points again for a 22-20 score and a kill by Catie Cronister made it 22-21. Once again the teams went back and forth to make it 24-23 before Wofford tied the set at 24. The set was tied at 25, 26 and 27 before two straight points gave USC Upstate a 29-27 win in the set.
 
In the deciding fifth set, the Spartans took a 5-2 lead before the Terriers tied it at five. USC Upstate went up 10-6 and a service ace made it 11-6. At 12-6, Wofford got back on serve and cut the score to 12-10 with four straight points. The Spartans scored the next two points for a 14-10 lead before Wofford answered with two straight to make it a 14-12 set. A kill by Emily Koelling won the set and match for the Spartans at 15-12.
 
The Terriers will begin Southern Conference play on Friday, September 23 against UNC Greensboro, followed by Mercer on Saturday evening.