BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Wofford volleyball team put up a fight inside the Pete Hanna Center Saturday night, but a Samford run to open the fourth set would prove too much as the Terriers fell in four sets (20-25, 25-20, 20-25, 9-25) to the Bulldogs. Wofford drops to 12-8 overall and an even 4-4 in conference play while Samford improves to 11-9 and 6-2 in league action.
 
Wofford led at the net with 10 blocks to Samford's six. But the Bulldogs held the advantages elsewhere, notably controlling the serve with eight aces to the four by the Terriers. Wofford also committed five more offensive errors with 23 for a .131 hitting percentage, while Samford hit at a .281 clip with 18 errors.
 
Bella Zeman led the way with 11 kills for the Terriers, and Millie Loehr was not far off with nine. Loehr posted a nice .300 hitting percentage with only three errors in her 20 swings. Emory Wyatt topped the squad, though, with a .417 clip with six kills and just one error on 12 attempts.
 
Leading the offense were the setting tandem of Victoria Hensley and Emily Hodsdon, who each posted double-doubles. Hensley's was by way of 18 assists and 11 digs. It was the third of her season and career. Hodsdon's came via 14 assists and 10 digs. It's her team-leading fifth double-double of the campaign and the 21^st of her career.
 
Four different Terriers recorded double-digit digs in the contest, with Abbey Richman's 13 leading the pack. It's her 12^th consecutive match in double figures. Kennedy Smith was right behind with 12, and the aforementioned Hensley and Hodsdon were the other two with double-digits.
 
Smith and Richman also tied for the team lead in aces with each sending home a pair on the night. Sarah Barham manned the net well, swatting a team-leading five blocks. Emory Wyatt was right behind with four of her own.
 
Set one was close early and a back-and-forth battle. Kennedy Smith delivered kills for Wofford to hold leads of 9-6 and 11-10. But then a seven-point run flipped the set and put Samford in front 17-11, setting a tone of what would become a theme in the contest. The Terriers gave a late push to fight back, with Sarah Barham sending home a kill for a 20-23 deficit. But Samford closed out the set from there for the early lead.
 
Needing to turn things around, Wofford opened the second set with a 3-0 run and eventually held a 7-3 lead. The Bulldogs fought back to tie the set at 17, but a five-point Wofford run created some separation. Sarah Barham tallied a kill and then combined with Sarah MacLean for a block. Kennedy Smith delivered an ace prior to a Samford error, and Barham and MacLean combined for one more tandem block to finish off the run. Leading 22-17, Wofford capitalized on its momentum to ultimately claim the 25-20 set-two win.
 
With the match now level, both teams traded points early in set three as they jockeyed for the advantage. Samford led 9-6 before Wofford pulled things even at 11 all. Millie Loehr and Emory Wyatt delivered kills later to pull Wofford within two at 21-19. But the Bulldogs ultimately claimed the set with another 25-20 margin to pull back ahead.
 
Though Wofford looked to bounce back in the fourth set, Samford caught fire out of the gates. The Bulldogs opened with an 11-point run, which was finally broken by a pair of kills from Millie Loehr. The Terriers would put up a fight, claiming some points, but the Samford momentum was too strong and the hole too deep to climb out of. The Bulldogs claimed the set and the match.
 
Wofford returns to the friendly confines of Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium next weekend aiming to get back on track. The Terriers face Chattanooga at home on Friday, Oct. 21, at 5:00 p.m. before facing ETSU the next night at 6:00 p.m.