SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Wofford volleyball head coach
Lynze Roos picked up her 50
th win at Wofford as her squad downed Mercer 3-1 in front of a rambunctious crowd on Saturday night in Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. The match was senior night for
Sutton Alexander,
Danni Densford and
Bella Santoro.
The Terriers won the opening set 25-23, but the Bears evened the match with a 25-23 second set win. Wofford won the third set, 25-13, and the fourth set 25-15 to clinch the win.
With the win, Wofford has matched its win total from 2016. The Terriers improve to 17-8 and 7-4 in Southern Conference play, while Mercer falls to 7-15 and 2-8 in conference action. Wofford won both matches against Mercer this season and have now won five in a row to even the overall series 8-8.
"It was outstanding to finish our home season with a win," said Roos. "I'm so proud of this senior class and all that they have accomplished. They're a fabulous group of young women, and it's been a true pleasure to be a part of their journey at Wofford. The impact they've had on this program is impressive."
Catie Cronister and
Colleen Reilly led Wofford offensively, combining for 38 of Wofford's 59 kills on the night. Cronister had 20 kills, her sixth match of the year with atleast 20 kills, and hit .366 to pace the offense. She recorded 12 digs to record her ninth double-double of the season and added two aces and two blocks. Reilly hit .389 with 18 kills, her second highest kill total this season.
The defensive effort was well rounded as four players' tallied double-digit kills.
Madeline Savage, Taylor Gill, and
Lorissa King anchored the back line with 13 each in addition to Cronister's 12. King, Wofford's sophomore setter, recorded 46 assists and earned her second double-double of the season.
Wofford hit .241 in the match and held the Bears to a hitting percentage of .154. Wofford had 59 kills to Mercer's 37, 54 assists to Mercer's 35, and 66 digs to Mercer's 58. Wofford also outblocked Mercer 8 to 7.
Wofford never trailed in the first set. With Wofford leading 24-20, Mercer fended off three straight set point to make it 24-23, but a Mercer service error gave Wofford the 25-23 win.
The second set was back and forth throughout, with neither team leading by more than two until Mercer went up 23-20. Wofford called a timeout and won the next two points thanks to a kill by Cronister and a service ace from Savage. Mercer called timeout and won the first point out of the timeout to go up 24-22. Wofford pulled within one off a kill from Reilly, but Mercer's Morgan MacGilvary recorded on the next point to give Mercer the set and tie the match.
Wofford never trailed in the third set, either. Up 8-7, the Terriers rallied off three in a row behind the serving of Cronister and forced Mercer to call timeout. Cronister served Wofford to three more points out of the break, six total during her serve, and Wofford's lead quickly grew to 14-7. The Bears never got within six points the rest of the set and Wofford won handily, 25-13.
The Terriers' momentum carried over into the fourth set. Wofford controlled the set as Gill served Wofford to four straight points, Savage served Wofford to eight straight, and King did her share, serving Wofford to three straight late in the set. King's serving rally put Wofford ahead 22-8, the team's biggest lead of the set. Wofford won the fourth set 25-15 and clinched the win.
Tonight's match was Wofford's home finale. The Terriers went 7-2 in matches played inside Richardson Indoor Stadium, the inaugural season in the building. Wofford concludes the regular season with five consecutive road matches before the conference tournament in Cullowhee, N.C. Next up, Wofford heads to Charleston for a midweek showdown with The Citadel on Wednesday, Oct. 25. Wofford swept The Citadel at home in the first meeting of the season on Sept. 27.
