SPARTANBURG, S.C. – In a rematch of last season's SoCon Championship inside the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium, it was the Wofford volleyball team who delivered payback, downing The Citadel in straight sets (25-16, 25-13, 25-16) Wednesday evening. With now a four-match winning streak, the Terriers stayed perfect over their homestand to improve to 12-6 and 4-2 in league action. The Bulldogs drop to 8-9 and 1-3 in SoCon play.
 
Wofford's sweep of The Citadel is a role reversal of that 2021 SoCon Championship Match, in which the Bulldogs earned a sweep and the conference crown. It is Wofford's ninth overall straight-set win this season and third in a row. The Terriers remain perfect against the Bulldogs inside the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium.
 
"It's super special honestly," said junior defensive specialist/libero Abbey Richman of the team's turnaround four-match winning streak. "We're in such a place of our team where we're really confident in ourselves and our teammates. And the unity and the fight we have as a team is super special. So the fact that we're able to just play and play relaxed and play as a team is really special, too."
 
The Terriers dominated the contest, hitting .300 while holding The Citadel to a measly .000 clip. Wofford posted just nine attack errors while forcing The Citadel to commit 24. Notably, the Wofford serve delivered a whopping six aces while the Bulldogs mustered just one.
 
Kennedy Smith continued her incredible week to lead the Terriers just hours after being named SoCon Student-Athlete of the Week and just two days after earning SoCon Offensive Player of the Week. Smith showed why she garnered those awards by recording another double-double, her third of the season and of the previous four matches. It was also the ninth of her career by way of a team-leading 15 kills and 10 digs. She touted a .433 hitting clip on the night.
 
"The offense component, I gotta give it to my other hitters and Vic (Hensley), who's been putting up amazing sets for me," said senior outside hitter Kennedy Smith of her recent success and double-doubles. "The hitters are pulling the blocks, so I have good opportunities front row. Defensively, that's just what the coaches have prepared us, and filling that seam and just doing our jobs 24/7. But my teammates really help me get there."
 
But Smith's percentage was not tops on the squad, as Sarah Barham delivered at a rate of .462 with her seven kills. She also led at the net with three blocks.
 
Of Wofford's six aces, Mary Emily Morgan and Caroline Przystup tied for the team lead with two each to account for two-thirds of those aces. Victoria Hensley dished 34 assists to pace the offense, and Abbey Richman's 12 digs led the defense. Richman has tallied double-digits digs in now 10-straight contests since taking over libero duties.
 
"Another double-digit dig night for Abbey, she's crushing it," said assistant coach Justin Sanders of Richman's defensive performances since stepping into the libero role. "A couple of things that come to mind, her defending the middle. There were a couple plays where they're running a zero-tempo out of that middle, and she's getting deflections on it. If it gets past our block, she's there reading the right things. So she's reading the game really well right now. She's using her voice very well on the court, especially when it's a free-ball opportunity or serve receive. She's doing things really well for us, so that's awesome to see her step into the libero role and crush it."
 
The match started on even footing with the sides tied at four early, but Wofford immediately found its rhythm with a seven-point run. Kennedy Smith notched a kill to set up Caroline Przystup on the serve, and she took control from there. Two Bulldog errors led into a Przystup ace. Then it was Smith who delivered twice more, and Przystup sent home another ace. An attacking error would finish off the run with an 11-4 Wofford lead. The Terriers remained in control, closing out the set by claiming four of the final five points for a 25-16 triumph.
 
Unlike set one, Wofford wasted no time taking control. The Terriers claimed the first three points and nine of the first 11. A notable 7-1 run in the middle goings gave Wofford a commanding 19-7 advantage, which ultimately saw the Terriers race to a 25-13 set two win.
 
With their backs against the wall, the Bulldogs put up more of a fight in set three to win the first two points. Though Wofford went on a four-point run to respond, The Citadel fought back to lead 9-7 and then tie things at 11. But that was when Wofford went on another run, this time seven points. Sarah MacLean's kill led to a Mary Emily Morgan ace. From there, the Bulldogs committed four errors in a row before Sarah Barham's kill finished off the run at 18-11 Wofford. It was all Terriers from there, as The Citadel's comeback efforts were too little too late. Jessica Freire delivered an ace for match point, and though the Bulldogs earned the next point, they then committed a service error to ice the match and give Wofford its fourth consecutive win and third in a row in straight sets.
 
Wofford now gets a week off before returning to action on the road next weekend. The Terriers travel to Macon, Ga. to face Mercer on Friday, Oct. 14 at 7:00 p.m. Then, Wofford travels to Birmingham, Ala. for a match at Samford the next night at 6:00 p.m. ET.