GREENVILLE, S.C. – The Wofford volleyball team was locked in a tug-of-war battle inside the Alley Gymnasium, trading sets with the rival Furman Paladins Wednesday night. But the Terriers utilized a pair of double-doubles and a season-best blocking effort to claim the five-set win (25-14, 22-25, 31-29, 22-25, 15-9) in bounce-back fashion.
 
The triumph gives Wofford its first road win and season series sweep over Furman since the 2019 campaign. After downing the Paladins in last season's SoCon Tournament and earlier this season in Spartanburg, the Terriers have now won three-straight over their rivals for the first time ever. Four of the last six match-ups between the teams have gone five sets, with Wofford winning the last two of those.
 
The Terriers were stout at the net, swatting a new 2022 single-match high 13 blocks. Though Furman still had 11 of its own, a representation of how tight the match was statistically. The largest difference in the box score came by way of hitting percentage, in which Wofford swung at a .201 clip while holding Furman to a .112 mark.
 
Wofford was led by Kennedy Smith offensively, who notched a team-leading 16 kills while adding 15 digs for a double-double. It is her fifth of the season and the 12^th of her career.
 
Victoria Hensley paced the offense with her 35 assists, and she joined Smith with a double-double of her own by way of 10 digs. It is Hensley's fifth double-double, and the freshman now owns four in the last five matches.
 
Bella Zeman joined Smith in double figures with 13 kills, and Emory Wyatt was just shy with nine. Hensley also led the way with three service aces. At the net, Millie Loehr was the top Terrier with seven swats to tie her career high, and Sarah Barham was right behind with six. Wyatt also notched five. In addition to her blocks, Loehr added two aces to match her career high.
 
Abbey Richman tallied 27 digs, her 15^th-straight match leading the squad and tallying double-digits. She has amassed 20 or more in four of the last five matches.
 
Wofford came out of the gates rolling, earning an early 8-2 lead in set one. With the tone set, Furman would fight back as best as it could but was not able to close the gap. The Terriers raced to a 25-14 win in the first set.
 
Needing to halt the Terrier momentum, the Paladins stepped up and traded blows with Wofford early in set two, eventually taking a lead at 17-11. Wofford gave a late push, as a three-point run pulled the Terriers within two while the Paladins sat on set point, but they did halt the run and claim the set to even the match.
 
The third set was another tight battle, but it was the later portions of the set that really stole the show. Furman held set point at 24-23, but Kennedy Smith notched a pair of kills to flip that narrative. From there, the sides traded back-to-back points four times. Wofford held set point at 29-28 before a Furman kill pulled things even again. But a Paladin attack error put the Terriers back in front, and Bella Zeman finally finished off the set with a kill to make the score 31-29 for Wofford.
 
But Furman opened the fourth set by winning the first five points, setting the tone. The Terriers chipped away over the course of the set, eventually pulling to within a point late with a six-point run. The run opened with a Zeman kill and featured a pair of Sarah Barham-Emory Wyatt tandem blocks. Kaitlyn Brown added an ace before Wyatt closed the run with a kill, pulling Wofford to 22-23. But Furman bounced back for those final two points to force a do or die fifth set.
 
Sarah Barham opened the fifth set with a kill, but Furman responded for three-straight points. Wofford kept fighting, taking a 5-4 lead thanks to an Abbey Richman ace before Furman tied it again. Millie Loehr then took control, scoring three consecutive kills. Kennedy Smith added one of her own for good measure, making the score 9-5 in favor of Wofford. Though Furman got a point thanks to an error, the Terriers had found a much-needed groove at the right time. Rolling, Wofford went on a four-point run to make the score 13-6. After reaching match point, it was Sarah Barham who closed the match with her clinching kill, helping Wofford snap its four-match losing streak.
 
Wofford remains on the road this weekend hoping to keep its turnaround good fortunes alive. After traveling to Cullowhee, N.C. Friday night for a bout against Western Carolina, the Terriers will make their way across the Tar Heel State to take on UNCG Saturday evening.