SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Despite a plethora of career-high performances behind a total team effort, the Wofford volleyball team would fall short in five sets to SoCon rival Furman (6-5), 23-25, 29-27, 25-19, 23-25, 5-15, to open Southern Conference action with a loss at the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium on Wednesday night. The Terriers stormed back from a first-set defeat to hold an advantage, though, the Paladins used a second wind to come back late and take the victory in five sets.
 
Sophomore Sarah Barham led the way with 13 kills, five blocks and two aces, while freshman Mary Emily Morgan amassed a career-high 17 kills and eight digs in her first league performance.
 
Meghan Yaffa followed with 12 kills, three blocks and four digs, while sophomore Addison Foote posted her second career double-double with 12 kills and a career-best 19 digs, along with three assists and a block. Emily Hodsdon continued to pace Wofford's attack with a match-high 53 assists, to couple with a season-high four blocks and two aces.
 
Sophomore Millie Loehr finished with nine kills on 19 swings (.368) and three blocks. Junior Kennedy Smith compiled a career-high 20 digs, along with a career-best four assists and an ace, at libero, while Kaitlyn Brown added a career-best two aces and five digs on the night.
 
Wofford finished the match hitting .214, as Furman held a block advantage for the match with 12 to Wofford's 10.
 
After dropping a close first set (25-23), Furman came out with the same intensity, holding a 17-14 lead over halfway through the frame before Wofford would use its final timeout of the set. After a Meghan Yaffa kill put the Terriers back on serve, an ace from Kaitlyn Brown put Wofford within one before back-to-back kills from Addison Foote and Mary Emily Morgan rekindled a Terriers lead, 20-19. Efforts from Millie Loehr and Morgan kept Wofford in it prior to a Furman attack error forcing a Paladins timeout at 25-24. Kills from Yaffa, Loehr and Morgan continued to chip away for set point, as the Paladins squandered the set with an attack error to knot things up, 29-27.
 
Wofford rode the momentum into the third set, busting out an 11-5 lead after another Brown ace and kills from Loehr and Morgan to force a Furman timeout. The Terriers kept the Paladins at arm's length, continuing to groove as the set progressed, seeing back-to-back kills from Sarah Barham and Addison Foote burn the Paladins' last timeout at 19-14. A brief Paladins 4-0 run out the break forced Wofford to talk things over with a 22-18 advantage, though, kills from Foote and Morgan rekindled Wofford's persistence to see another Paladins attack error hand the Terriers the advantage, 25-19.
 
The Terriers looked poised to put the nail in the coffin in the fourth set, busting a 16-10 lead by the midway point of the frame. The Paladins crept back point-by-point prior to a Furman ace and subsequent Wofford error forcing the Terriers to regroup up 20-17. The Paladins continued to grind point-for-point, as Andrea Aceveda would land a crucial ace to burn Wofford's final timeout knotted up at 21-21. Consecutive attack errors out the break hurt the Terriers, though, Foote looked to close the gap on set point with consecutive Wofford kills at 24-23. Unfortunately, Furman's Neci Harris found the winner to keep the Paladins' hopes alive and force a fifth set with an ace, 25-23.
 
With all the momentum on their side, the Paladins rolled in the fifth with confidence, sparking a swift 5-2 lead through the opening rallies. The Paladins capitalized on the momentum out the break, finding five of the next seven points to force Wofford's final timeout at 10-4. Despite talking things over, the Paladins came out determined to finish the match, as a Loehr kill held off set point, prior to Furman's Harris dialing away the final two points and securing the comeback victory for Furman, 15-5.
 
The Paladins were led by Bella Tolone with a double-double of 21 kills and 11 digs, while Maya Mrus (16) and Neci Harris (13) round out the Paladins with double-figure kills for the match.
 
Wofford (6-7, 0-1 SoCon) travels to Birmingham, Ala. next for a Friday evening matchup at Samford, slated for an 8 p.m. ET start at the Pete Hanna Center.