SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Junior outside hitter Kennedy Smith led the Terriers with a double-double of 10 kills and 11 digs in Friday night's Southern Conference tilt against UNCG, though, the Spartans (15-3, 4-1 SoCon) came away with the victory in straight sets at the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium, 25-20, 25-18, 25-17, to drop Wofford to 7-10 overall and 1-4 in league play.
 
Smith's performance marked her third career double-double and first since Sept. 13, 2019 (14 kills, 10 digs vs. Alabama A&M), as she led with team-highs in kills and digs, including setting a new season-high with her first double-digit kill output of the season. Additionally, Smith added an ace and block in the match.
 
Sophomore middle blocker Sarah Barham followed with six kills and two blocks, as Millie Loehr added five kills and a block. Freshman Mary Emily Morgan recorded five kills on 13 swings (.385), along with an assist and a dig, while Meghan Yaffa also added five kills.
 
Sophomore setter Emily Hodsdon finished with 34 assists, seven digs and two kills, as freshman middle blocker Sarah MacLean added four kills and a block, followed by sophomore Addison Foote with three kills, an ace, two assists and five digs. Sophomore libero Kaitlyn Brown tallied her third consecutive double-figure performance with 10 digs, while senior Robyn Krause contributed two digs to round out the Terriers' in the match.
 
UNCG finished the match hitting .384, led by Grey Breen and Kayla White with 14 and 12 kills, respectively.
 
Wofford held the advantage in digs, 43-39, though, the Terriers racked up six service errors that proved costly in pivotal moments down the stretch, along with a 45-40 kill differential for the match.
 
The Terriers came out focused to start the match, as the opening set featured eight lead changes and 14 tied scores. Knotted up at 15-15 midway through, Addison Foote and Sarah Barham kills traded points with the Spartans before UNCG's Breen would land a kill and successive ace to take a two-point edge, 19-17, and force a Wofford timeout. Yaffa, who tallied all five kills in the opening frame, then deadlocked the match at 19-all with consecutive swings, as UNCG would answer with four of the next five points to hold a 23-20 advantage at Wofford's final timeout. The Spartans connected on a combination block out of the break prior to White dialing home the set-point to grant UNCG the 1-0 lead, 25-20.
 
From there, UNCG would erupt offensively over the following two sets, hitting .471 in the second and .378 in the third, to impose its offensive prowess as the league's leader in hitting percentage (.219).
 
The Spartans opened with a commanding 6-1 lead prior to efforts from Kennedy Smith and Sarah Barham subtly chipping away at the deficit, 12-7. A swift Hodsdon kill on a fake set briefly shifted Wofford's momentum, though, an immediate service error handed UNCG back the possession to see the Spartans claim three of the next five points for a 16-10 lead. Coming out of Wofford's final timeout, Smith continued to contribute with a block and kill, along with a Mary Emily Morgan kill that put the Terriers back on serve (20-14). However, another costly service error again sparked a brief UNCG run to bring up set point at 24-15. Kills from Morgan and Smith and a Spartans ball-handling error kept Wofford alive, though, UNCG's Breen sealed the deal to put the second set away 25-18.
 
The Terriers competed hard with a determined effort to prolong the match to a fourth set, holding a 10-8 lead after a Sarah MacLean swing. The Spartans then stormed back with a 5-0 run to reclaim the advantage, 13-10, forcing Wofford to talk things over. Kills from Millie Loehr and Morgan brought the margin within one (14-13), though, UNCG answered with another timely 4-0 spurt that kept the Terriers at arm's length at 17-13. Both squads would trade point-for-point, while the Spartans' margin crept further and further to see Wofford burn its final timeout with a five-point deficit at 21-16. Fighting to regain its rhythm down 23-16 after a pair of UNCG kills, Morgan would send home a final kill for the Terriers, as back-to-back offensive miscues would ultimately conclude the match in the Spartans favor, 25-17, to come away with the straight-set decision.
 
The Terriers return to the court tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 9, with another home tilt, welcoming the Western Carolina Catamounts (8-8, 4-1 SoCon) for a 7 p.m. matchup at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium.