BOONE, N.C. – At the Black and Gold Invitational, the Wofford College volleyball team split a pair of five set games on Saturday afternoon at the Holmes Center. Against Appalachian State, the Terriers earned a 3-2 (25-21, 20-25, 23-25, 25-21, 16-14) win. However in the second game UNC Wilmington downed the Terriers 3-2 (25-21, 21-25, 18-25, 25-22, 21-19) as they went undefeated on the weekend. Wofford is now 2-4 on the season.
 
In the day's first match against Appalachian State, Wofford was led by Colleen Reilly with 15 kills and a .257 attack percentage. Lorissa King had 54 assists, while Catie Cronister had 26 digs and Madeline Savage added 24 digs. The Terriers had a total of four service aces and twelve team blocks in the win. Against UNC Wilmington, the Terriers were led by Lorissa King with 39 assists and 19 digs. Madeline Savage added 28 digs. Bijonae Jones had 14 kills and a .353 attack percentage. The team had ten services aces and six team blocks.
 
"I'm pleased with the way we battled today," said head coach Lynze Roos. "All the teams we played were tests for us, and we are learning how to handle new situations. I was really impressed with how Bijonae Jones came out in set five and demanded the ball. That was a huge boost for us. Lorissa King worked to deliver a good ball all weekend and was named to the All-Tournament Team. She and M.E. Eberhardt put us in good positions to score."
 
The opening set of the first game was tied five times before the Terrier took a lead at 8-7. A kill by Kelly Bossert gave Wofford a 15-11 advantage and forced Appalachian State to take a timeout. The Mountaineers pulled within two points at 20-18, but the Terriers then pushed the score to 23-19. Appalachian State scored the next two points to make it 23-21. Wofford took advantage of a bad set and attack error to win the final two points and take the first set.
 
The second set began with the Mountaineers taking a 10-5 lead. The Terriers battled back and made it a two point game eight times, including at 21-19. A kill by Colleen Reilly made it a one-point game at 21-20, but the Mountaineers scored the last five points for a 25-20 win to tie the match. The third set was also a tight one. Appalachian State jumped out to an early 4-1 lead and built a 13-9 advantage. The Terriers were down 15-14 when they scored six of the next eight points to take a 20-17 lead. With the score 22-20 in favor of Wofford, Appalachian State then tied the game at 22 and 23. Back-to-back attack errors by the Terriers gave the Mountaineers a 25-23 win and a 2-1 lead in the game.
 
In the fourth set, it was tied eight times when the game reached 13-13. Wofford then rattled off four straight points for a 17-13 lead and pulled ahead 24-19. The Mountaineers scored the next two points, but a kill by Catie Cronister gave the Terriers a 25-21 win to tie the game. It looked like Wofford was going to make quick work of the fifth set as they took a 10-3 lead. Appalachian State was able to rally and cut the score to 13-12. A kill by Kara Shacklette gave Wofford match point, but the Mountaineers scored the next two points to tie it at 14. Kills by Bijonae Jones and Kelly Bossert closed out the match with a 16-14 victory.
 
In the second match of the day, the Terriers took a lead at 6-5 and maintained an advantage until the Seahawks tied things up at 21. A kill by Colleen Reilly was followed by two attack errors by UNCW. The first set ended with a service ace by Lorissa King for the 25-21 win. Wofford fell behind early in the second set, but tied things up at points 6, 9, 10, 11, and 15. The Seahawks scored the next two points to regain the lead. The Terriers got within one point four times, including at 21-20, but UNCW scored four of the sets final five points for a 25-21 win.
 
Set three began with three straight points for the Seahawks and the Terriers could not catch up. UNCW built a lead of 17-8 before a kill by Bella Santoro ended a run. The Seahawks were able to continue to pull away and ended the set with a 25-18 victory. In the fourth set, it was the Terriers that came out strong with the first four points. The Seahawks and Terriers were tied nine times when the set reached the 15-15 mark. Wofford took an 18-16 lead, but the set was again tied at 20, 21 and 22. A kill by Catie Cronister gave Wofford a one point advantage, while an attack error by the Seahawks and a kill by Kelly Bossert gave the Terriers a 25-22 win to tie the match.
 
The deciding fifth set was a fitting end to the close match, as it featured 14 ties and neither team led by more than two points. With the score tied at 15, the Seahawks broke the tie four times to see the Terriers tie things up on the ensuing point. At 19-19, UNCW put together back-to-back kills to take the set 21-19 and the match.
 
The first home match for the Terriers will be Tuesday, September 6 against Presbyterian College at 7:00 p.m. in Benjamin Johnson Arena. This will mark the final season for Wofford in Benjamin Johnson Arena before moving to the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium in 2017.