Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Wofford volleyball team split a pair of Saturday matches, falling to Tennessee but defeating Western Michigan to pick up its first win of the season. Wofford went 1-2 in the Tennessee Classic, held Friday and Saturday and hosted by the University of Tennessee.
 
"This was a strong opening tournament for us to test where we are as a team," said head coach Lynze Roos. "I liked that we got stronger as the tournament went on. It's great to finish with a win, and we are excited to get back in the gym and improve."
 
In the first match, host school Tennessee swept the Terriers 25-16, 25-17, and 25-23. Tennessee never trailed in the first set and led by as many as nine, taking the set 25-16. The second set started with the teams trading points. With Tennessee up 7-5, the Vols rattled off five straight points to extend the lead, and that swing was all Tennessee needed to keep the Terriers at bay, winning 25-17. Wofford came to life in the third set and never trailed by more than four points. The Terriers led 23-19, but the Volunteers put down the next six points to win the set and the match.
 
Catie Cronister (12 kills) and Bijonae Jones (nine kills, hitting .273) led the offensive attack for the Terriers in the loss. Lorissa King had 27 assists and Taylor Gill recorded 19 digs.
 
In the second match, Wofford won the first two sets and fell in sets three and four, just like in Friday's match against George Washington. However, unlike Friday, the Terriers rallied to take the fifth set and clinch the win. In the first set, Wofford led 12-7 and then again 16-11, but Western Michigan warmed up and chipped into the Terrier lead. The Broncos cut it to one at 23-22 but Wofford rolled off two straight to clinch the set 25-22. The second set was also tightly contested. Neither team led by more than three points until Wofford went up 16-12. The Broncos wouldn't get any closer to the Terrier lead and Wofford won set two, 25-18.
 
In the third set, the Terriers led early on but Western Michigan tied it at 10. Up 12-11, the Broncos rallied off a quick three points and extended the lead to 15-11. With Western Michigan up 17-14, Cronister added three consecutive kills to knot the set at 17. The Broncos, however, won the next point and kept just enough of a lead to claim a 25-22 third set win.
 
The Broncos jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the fourth set and forced a Wofford timeout. The timeout worked and the Terriers quickly caught up, eventually taking the lead 16-15. With the set tied 21-21, Western Michigan went on a 4-0 run to win 25-21.
 
Wofford jumped on Western Michigan early in the fifth set and led by as many as eight. Thanks to a .467 hitting percentage, Wofford won the set 15-8 to put the Broncos away and pick up the first win of the season.
 
Cronister, who was named to the All-Tournament Team, recorded her first double-double of the season to lead Wofford with 20 kills and 10 digs. She hit .311 on the evening and added three solo blocks. Gill, again, led on the defensive end, racking up 20 digs while adding five assists. King, the sophomore setter, finished with a season high 51 assists. Jones (13), Colleen Reilly (11) and Kara Shacklette all finished with 10 plus kills to balance the Terriers' offensive attack.  
 
Next up, Wofford heads to Rock Hill for a Tuesday showdown with Winthrop. The Terriers play in the Runnin' Bulldog Inivitational, hosted by Gardner Webb, on Friday and Saturday.