CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Despite finishing the conference slate on the losing end of a straight-set effort, the Wofford women's volleyball team concluded the regular season with a 10-6 Southern Conference record after a 14-25, 23-25, 19-25 loss to Western Carolina at the Ramsey Center, matching the 2017 season for the program's best conference finish and securing at least a No. 4 seed in next weekend's 2020-21 Southern Conference Volleyball Championship.
 
The Catamounts (9-7, 9-5 SoCon) replace Wofford in third in the Southern Conference, however, WCU and the rest of the conference all have one series remaining entering the final weekend of the regular season, leaving a chance for Wofford (10-6, 10-6 SoCon) to notch its highest finish in third place upon an UNCG sweep in hosting the Catamounts on March 28-29.
 
The SoCon Volleyball Championship will be hosted by the No. 1 seed and as part of the league's cost cutting initiative, will include the top four seeds only. The semifinal matches will be held on Friday, April 2, followed by the final on Saturday, April 3. 
 
Freshman Sarah Barham and senior Riley Coonan led the way for the Terriers with 16 and 12 kills, respectively, as Barham added two digs and a block while Coonan contributed two blocks and an assist.
 
Two-time SoCon Setter of the Week Emily Hodsdon recorded 32 assists, seven digs and a block, as Bella Zeman and Elise Schneider each registered four and three kills, respectively – marking a career-best for Schneider in just two sets played on the evening.
 
Millie Loehr added two kills, two digs and a solo block, while Kennedy Smith (one ace, one block, two digs) and Emily Durham (one ace, nine digs) round out the Terriers contributions offensively. Freshman libero Abbey Richman led with a team-high 16 digs and three assists.
 
Western Carolina came out the gates blitzing the Terriers with a grueling 7-0 run that forced a Wofford timeout down by double digits early, 13-3. A brief three-point run on kills from Riley Coonan, Sarah Barham and Bella Zeman boosted Wofford's confidence at 19-9, as freshman Millie Loehr cut the lead to single digits with a block and kill, 22-13. A costly Wofford service error would forfeit the serve to WCU, as the Catamounts wrapped up the set to finish with a 1-0 advantage, 25-14.
 
Wofford competed fiercely in the second set, hanging neck-and-neck with the Catamounts up until a WCU bad set and Riley Coonan block gave the Terriers a brief 14-13 lead. The set would see 16 tied scores and seven lead changes, as both teams deadlocked the score twice before the Catamounts compiled three straight points to force a Wofford timeout up 20-17. The Terriers continued to pose a threat, seeing a Kennedy Smith and Sarah Barham block force a WCU timeout at 22-20. Barham then followed with a kill, as a Catamounts attack error and another Barham kill deadlocked the score at 23-23. The Catamounts would earn a crucial pint on a Julia Gordon kill prior to WCU going on to clinch the second-set victory with a service ace to go up 2-0, 25-23.
 
The Catamounts opened with steady leads, extending a 10-4 margin that summoned a Wofford timeout to piece things together. Kills from Coonan, Zeman and a Kennedy Smith ace reeled things in, 12-8, as Abbey Richman hopped on serve to pace Wofford with kills from Bella Zeman and Sarah Barham to come within one point at 14-13. Zeman and Elise Schneider added the next two kills prior to a WCU attack error giving the Terriers a 16-15 lead, though, the Catamounts quickly erased the deficit to reclaim a 18-16 lead. WCU regained control, extending a four-point margin (21-17), as kills from Coonan gave Wofford life at 22-19. Unfortunately, WCU would capitalize on back-to-back kills, as a Zeman kill would come off the mark as an error to give the Catamounts the victory in straight sets.