SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Behind an efficient attack led by Kennedy Smith's second consecutive double-double, the Wofford volleyball team earned its second-straight SoCon win inside the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium Saturday night in straight sets (25-20, 25-13, 25-22) over Western Carolina. The result improves Wofford's record to 10-6 overall and 2-2 in conference play. The Catamounts drop to 9-6 and 2-1 in league action.
 
Though Western Carolina led the blocking battle 7-6, Wofford controlled the majority of the other facets of the match. The Terriers led in points (61-34), kills (51-24), assists (46-24) and digs (63-51). The most drastic difference between the squads was in offensive efficiency, as the Terriers hit at a .244 clip with those 51 kills, whereas the Catamounts posted only a .110 mark with just 24 kills.
 
"The thing that we were really most proud of tonight is that we executed our gameplan," said assistant coach Justin Sanders. "It was good to see us execute that gameplan and for us to be really balanced on offense. I think Vic (Hensley) did a great job distributing to the middles, getting MacLean going behind on the slide and our outsides as well, so that was awesome to see."
 
Kennedy Smith was lights-out for a second-straight match, posting back-to-back double-doubles. This was the ninth of her career by way of 13 kills and 18 digs. Those 13 kills tied with Bella Zeman for the team lead. Sarah Barham and Sarah MacLean were just shy of double-digits themselves with nine kills each.
 
Victoria Hensley set the attack up well all night, dishing a career-high 43 assists. She has posted a new career best in now a second consecutive match after her 35-assist effort Wednesday night against Furman. Hensley's 43 helpers tie with Emily Hodsdon's mark against Syracuse for the single-match high this season, but with Hodsdon's coming in a five-set match, Hensley's mark is a new match-high for a three-set affair this year.
 
Abbey Richman led the squad in both aces (two) and digs (19). Smith was just shy of her mark. Barham was the leader at the net with five blocks.
 
Contributing to Wofford's overall hitting percentage were three Terriers swinging at .300 or better with at least 10 attempts. Barham led the way at .316 with nine kills and three errors on 19 swings. Millie Loehr swatted .308 with six kills, just two errors and 13 attempts. With 30 attacks, Zeman hit at a .300 mark thanks to her 13 kills and four errors.
 
"We just knew when we had the opportunity to put the ball down, we had to," said senior outside hitter Bella Zeman of the efficient attacking. "So that's what we did. We made smart plays, and when we had the opportunity to execute, we did."
 
The first set was a tight, back-and-forth battle. The Catamounts pulled to within one late at 20-19, but the Terriers responded with three-straight points to create some breathing room. Sarah MacLean put down back-to-back kills before Kennedy Smith put one down herself for a 23-19 edge. After a Catamount kill, it was Smith and MacLean again coming up with kills to claim the set for Wofford.
 
Bella Zeman put home the first point of the second set, and Wofford caught fire from there to rush out to a 9-4 lead early. Western Carolina nabbed a point before the Terriers bounced back in a big way, springing a seven-point run. Zeman notched two-straight kills before Barham swatted away a block. A couple of errors set the scene for Abbey Richman's ace, which was followed by Barham's run-punctuating kill for a 16-5 lead. The Catamounts would muster some efforts to fight back, including a four-point run on Wofford's set point, but it was for naught as MacLean put home the set-winning kill for the whopping 25-13 margin.
 
After a runaway win in set two, Wofford felt the pressure from Western Carolina in set three as the Catamounts looked to avoid a sweep. Western Carolina pulled out to an early 9-5 lead, but three-straight points pulled Wofford within one. A ball handling error gave the Catamounts their 10^th point, but a five-point run flipped the script. Once again, it was Zeman starting things off with a kill. After an error, Richman delivered another ace. Then it was Zeman coming through again before a tandem block by Victoria Hensley and Sarah Barham. Wofford led 13-10. The Catamounts kept pushing, refusing to go down without a fight. Barham's kill created match point, but a service error put the ball back in Western Carolina's hands with the score 24-22. But Wofford held firm as the Catamounts committed their own service error to do themselves in, sealing Wofford's sweeping triumph.
 
The Terriers continue their homestand with a match against UNCG tomorrow evening at 5:00 p.m.