CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Wofford Volleyball team played a pair of strong matches inside the TD Arena Saturday, outlasting Charleston in straight sets (25-20, 25-17, 25-22) before handling the University of the Incarnate Word in the nightcap (25-13, 25-17, 25-22). Wofford claims the College of Charleston Classic title after a perfect 3-0 showing, extending the overall win streak to four and improving the record to 5-4.
 
The tournament win is Wofford's first in a non-conference tournament since winning last year's Wofford Invitational. Sarah Barham was named the MVP of the CofC Classic for her performances over the weekend, continuing to earn an all-tournament nod in each of Wofford's non-conference tournaments thus far. Joining her on the All-Tournament Team are Mary Emily Morgan and Millie Loehr.
 
Match One – at College of Charleston (3-0)
The win over Charleston is Wofford's first in the series since 1998. This snaps a previous 32-game losing streak to the Cougars. The triumph also marks Wofford's first-ever win over the Cougars in Charleston, as the previous wins in the series have all occurred at home or at neutral venues.
 
Wofford controlled the match most of the way en route to its straight-set sweep of Charleston. The Terriers held an advantage in almost all of the major team statistics, notably out-hitting the Cougars .241 to .139. Perhaps the starkest contrast was Wofford's eight aces as opposed to just a single ace for Charleston. Wofford also tallied more kills (42-34), blocks (10-6) and assists (32-31).
 
Sarah Barham led the way with 11 kills for the Terriers, the lone double-digit scorer. But Millie Loehr made her presence felt on both ends with eight kills and a team-leading six blocks. Kennedy Smith was right behind with five blocks to tie her career high, and Barham also contributed four swats.
 
Barham and Loehr both swung at efficient rates as well. Barham totaled a .471 hitting percentage for the team lead with her 11 kills on 17 swings. Loehr's .429 clip was not far behind, as her eight kills came on 14 attempts.
 
Kaitlyn Brown served up a team-best three aces, and Mary Emily Morgan added 10 digs to pace the team. Victoria Hensley led with 19 assists and also added two aces.
 
Wofford led the majority of set one, but Charleston stayed right on its heels. The Terriers would pull away late, utilizing a three-point run for a 23-18 lead. Though the Cougars claimed a pair of points, they committed back-to-back errors to give the Terriers set one, 25-20.
 
Wofford opened set two with a six-point run, but Charleston nixed that momentum with its own five-point run. But the Terriers regrouped and managed to stay in front, pulling away in the middle goings to eventually lead 18-11. Despite Charleston's best attempts to fight back, Wofford found a groove and won the set with a five-point run that was punctuated by a Millie Loehr kill for the 25-17 runaway set two win.
 
Set three appeared to be more of the same at first as Wofford raced out to an 11-3 lead early. But the Cougars kept fighting and brought it close at 20-19. But Wofford held on, fending off Charleston to claim set three 25-22 and secure the win in straight sets.
 
Match Two – vs. Incarnate Word (3-0)
In the first-ever meeting between Wofford and UIW, the Terriers came out on top without dropping a set. Three of the four matches in the current win streak have been 3-0 sweeps, the lone exception being last night's 3-2 win over Coastal Carolina.
 
Wofford controlled every facet of the match against UIW. The most staggering differences occurred in points (48-29) and blocks (8-2). In addition, Wofford hit .258 as a team in the contest, far out-matching the measly .050 clip of the Cardinals.
 
Sarah Barham and Bella Zeman tied atop the Wofford leaderboard with nine kills apiece, while Barham's four blocks topped the squad. Mary Emily Morgan notched a pair of aces for the team lead. Victoria Hensley led in assists with 15, and Abbey Richman tallied the most digs with 15.
 
Barham swung at an impressive .692 clip with nine kills on 13 attempts and no errors. Sarah MacLean also put up a spotless performance, committing no errors with five kills on 12 swings for a stout .417 percentage.
 
The Terriers utilized a six-point run in the middle of set one to pull out to 14-5 advantage. Wofford remained in control from there, notching the final three points to claim a set one win, 15-13, punctuated by a kill from Bella Zeman.
 
The second set was not much closer at the start, with Wofford earning a quick 7-3 lead. The Cardinals tried to battle back in the middle portions, but a four-point run put Wofford ahead 20-12. An error created set point, and Millie Loehr then sent home the set-winning kill for a 25-17 triumph.
 
UIW refused to go quietly, holding a 6-4 lead early in the third set. But Mary Emily Morgan ended it with a kill, sparking a 5-point Terrier run to go back in front, 9-6. The squads battled from there, trading points until a 22-22 deadlock late. Zeman notched a kill before a tandem block by Addison Foote and Sarah Barham created match point. Mary Emily Morgan stepped up to deliver the final blow via an ace to give Wofford the straight-set win.
 
Following the triumphant weekend, the Terriers return home next weekend for the final non-conference tournament of the season. Wofford hosts its second tournament for a first time with the first-ever Terrier Invite. Action begins Friday, Sept. 16 with two Wofford affairs against South Carolina State and Georgia State. The event concludes the next day with a match-up against Presbyterian.