CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Wofford volleyball team nearly used a late rally in the fourth set to force an extra frame at McAlister Field House on Wednesday evening, though, The Citadel (5-4, 1-2 SoCon) would hold on for their first victory in the past four meetings against the Terriers, 23-25, 17-25, 25-18, 21-25. Sophomore setter Emily Hodsdon recorded her third double-double of the season with 36 assists and 13 digs, while middle blocker Sarah Barham led with her seventh double-figure performance of 11 kills and five blocks.
 
The loss drops Wofford to 7-9 overall and 1-3 in the Southern Conference.
 
Hodsdon's double-double marks the 10^th of her career through 33 matches played, as she also added two blocks, a kill and an ace, while Barham hit .450 on 20 swings for the match.
 
Wofford saw balanced efforts all around, seeing four other Terriers contribute five or more kills, as Meghan Yaffa and Addison Foote followed with eight kills apiece. Additionally, Yaffa added four blocks and an ace, while Foote provided a block and six digs. Freshman Sarah MacLean continues to settle in with seven kills and a career-best four blocks, while Kennedy Smith also recorded seven kills and five digs.
 
Freshman Mary Emily Morgan finished with four kills, a block and eight digs, while sophomore libero Kaitlyn Brown corralled her second consecutive double-digit dig performance with 17, in addition to dishing a career-high four assists. Junior Chasidy Sharpe contributed two aces and a season-best five digs, while Abbey Richman and Robyn Krause round out the Terriers with six digs and one dig, respectively.
 
The Citadel was led by Sharlissa de Jesus with 16 kills and 11 digs, followed by Makaya Middleton with 11 kills.  
 
Wofford held a 10-6 advantage in blocks for the match, though, The Citadel finished with the advantage in kills, 51-46, and digs, 67-61.
 
The Bulldogs came out the gates swinging through the opening two sets, narrowly edging Wofford in the first (25-23) prior to erupting for 15 kills on .375 hitting in the second set for a decisive 25-17 outcome.
 
Back-to-back Mary Emily Morgan kills forced a Bulldogs timeout up early in the third, 9-7, as the Terriers came out the break with a 3-0 run to push a 12-8 lead. 10 of Hodsdon's 13 digs came in the third set, as the Alpharetta, Ga. native kept several plays alive for Yaffa and Foote to continue to extend the margin, 17-13. The Citadel played into errors, along with a combination block from Morgan and Sarah Barham, as a kill from Barham and back-to-back points from Addison Foote put The Citadel away, 25-18, to hold off the sweep.
 
With an extra set on the line for the Terriers, both teams traded points through the opening rallies of the fourth up until a 3-0 Bulldogs run forced Wofford to burn a timeout at 12-9. A Barham kill and block from Meghan Yaffa got Wofford back on track, as Barham and Foote kept the margin within one (15-14), though, another timely 3-0 run by The Citadel forced head coach Lynze Roos to use her final timeout of the match at 18-14.

The Bulldogs kept their persistence out of the timeout, boosting a six-point cushion at 22-16 prior to kills from The Citadel's de Jesus and Ali Ruffin bringing match point, 24-18. Yaffa then swung home a crucial kill on the ensuing rally, sparking a second wind in the Terriers that saw consecutive attack errors from the Bulldogs keep Wofford on serve at 24-21. Looking to extend the last-chance run, the Terriers would unfortunately squander the comeback with a service error, handing The Citadel the win in four sets, 25-21.
 
Wofford (7-9, 1-3 SoCon) returns back to league action in Spartanburg next Friday, Oct. 8, hosting UNCG at the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium in for a 7 p.m. match.