CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Wofford volleyball team was locked in a hard-fought battle in the Halton Arena against the Charlotte 49ers Friday evening, but despite a comeback in the third set to keep the match alive, the Terriers fell in four sets, 22-25, 21-25, 25-23, 24-26. Wofford drops to 0-1 to begin the 2022 campaign, and Charlotte improves to 2-0.
 
Charlotte out-hit Wofford, .214-.147, in the match, but the majority of the other statistical categories were close. The Terriers trailed slightly in points (74-70) and kills (55-54) while leading 7-5 in aces and 52-51 in assists. Digs were even at 70 apiece, but Charlotte gained a major advantage with 14 blocks to Wofford's nine.
 
Sarah Barham paced the squad in kills (15) and blocks (five). Barham swung at a .407 hitting percentage on 27 total attempts. With 27 assists, Emily Hodsdon topped the Terriers, and she tied with Bella Zeman for the team lead in aces with two each. Zeman's nine kills placed her second on the team. Kaitlyn Brown tallied the most digs at 19. Mary Emily Morgan made sure her name was present on the stat sheet, as she finished second on the team in digs (12) and third in kills (seven).
 
The first set was tight the entire way, and though Charlotte controlled the majority of it, Wofford was nipping at its heels the whole time. The largest 49er lead was a 14-10 advantage about midway through the set. The Terriers pulled within one point seven times during the set and tied the score four times. Emily Hodsdon found Bella Zeman late, who put away the kill to bring Wofford within two, 22-24, but Charlotte closed out the set on the next point.
 
The second set saw more hard-fought action with Wofford playing Charlotte close. A five-point run in the middle of the set brought the Terriers within a point, 12-13, The 49ers pulled away a little before Wofford battled back for two more ties, but despite a late Wofford run, Charlotte held on for the 21-25 set two win.
 
With the pressure mounting, Charlotte raced out to a 19-10 advantage in the third set. Later, the 49er advantage stood at 22-13, and hope seemed all but lost for the Terriers. However, Wofford refused to throw in the towel and rattled off a six-point run, to pull within three at 22-19. After a Charlotte point, the Terriers went on another six-point run to claim the third set. Sarah Barham's kill off a Hodsdon assist forced the fourth set.
 
The fourth set began with a little role reversal, as the Terriers jumped out to a 3-1 advantage. Wofford tried to stave off Charlotte, but the 49ers battled to an 11-10 lead to regain control. A five-point run that featured three Addison Foote kills and a Hodsdon ace brought the Terriers to an 18-17 lead. Charlotte regained control and forced match point with a 24-21 advantage. Bella Zeman's ensuing kill set up back-to-back points with Abbey Richman serving to knot the score at 24 all. However, the 49ers claimed the next two points to secure the win in four sets over the Terriers.
 
Wofford returns to the court for two more matches tomorrow. A Saturday morning contest sees the Terriers face the Syracuse Orange at 10:00 a.m. before concluding the Charlotte Invitational with a match-up against Morgan State at 5:00 p.m.