SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Wofford volleyball team opened the first-ever Terrier Invite in a big way with two straight-set triumphs inside the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. First, South Carolina State fell to Wofford in a dominate sweep (25-11, 25-6, 25-7) in the afternoon before the Terriers dropped Georgia State in straight-sets in the evening (25-21, 25-22, 25-14). With the pair of wins, Wofford improves to 7-4 on the season.
 
The wins extend the Terrier winning streak to seven matches, the longest since a 12-match run in 2009 from Sept. 5-24. Wofford has won four-straight matches in straight-sets, and all but one of the Terrier wins this season have been sweeps (3-2 win vs. Coastal). With six sweeps, the Terriers have already surpassed last season's total of five.
 
Match One – vs. SC State
Wofford displayed nothing but domination against SC State in the first match of the day. The Terriers controlled every statistical category, most notably 35 kills to six for the Bulldogs and 12 aces to none. Those 12 aces for Wofford are a new single-match season high. So was the .423 hitting percentage, which ties for the ninth-highest in program history for a single match. On the other side, the Bulldogs swung at a -.105 clip.
 
Kennedy Smith and Annemarie Rakoski topped the squad with seven kills each, becoming the first Terriers not named Sarah Barham or Bella Zeman to lead the team in kills for a match. Rakoski's kill tally marks a new career high. Smith also tallied a new career best with a .467 hitting percentage by way of her seven kills on 15 swings and no errors.
 
With two blocks, Rakoski also led the way. Victoria Hensley paced the team in both aces (four) and assists (17). Abbey Richman tallied the most digs with 12.
 
Jessica Freire notched her first-career assist and aces in the contest. Carson Eubanks continued the freshmen outbursts with her collegiate debut, also securing her first-career assist and digs.
 
Wofford ran away with set one, setting a tone for the match. However, set one was the only one in which SC State scored in double-digits. Set two opened with seven-straight Wofford points, and an Abbey Richman ace would seal the deal at a lopsided 25-6 score. The third set saw two different eight-point Terrier runs, and Annemarie Rakoski delivered the dagger at the end to secure Wofford's win.
 
Match Two – vs. Georgia State
Wofford's second match of the day was more of a challenge, though the Terriers ultimately prevailed still. Both sides recorded seven blocks, but the Terriers led most other categories, most notably Wofford's 51 kills to Georgia State's 31. Wofford swung at a .333 percentage while the Panthers were held to .167.
 
Bella Zeman shined on both sides with a team-leading 20 kills and three blocks. Though she was two-shy of her career-high 22 kills, Zeman still set a season-high mark for a Terrier in a single match this season, besting her own 17 kills against App State.
 
Emily Hodsdon recorded three aces to lead the team while adding 15 assists. Victoria Hensley dished 26 of her own to pace the team. With 16 digs, Abbey Richman topped the squad.
 
Three Terriers swing at a clip over .300, with Millie Loehr hitting .313 on eight kills, three errors and 16 attempts. Bella Zeman swatted .528 with her 20 kills on 36 swings and just a single error. But it was Sarah Barham who led the way with a whopping .800 percentage on eight kills and 10 attempts with no mishaps.
 
Set one was tight out of the gates, tied at six early on before a five-point run handed Wofford an 11-6 lead. The Terriers eventually led 18-13 before a Georgia State run pulled them level at 18, but the Terriers got rolling in clutch time to secure seven of the final 10 points. Sarah MacLean put home the set-winner for the 25-21 set one win.
 
The Panthers notched the first two points of set two, but a Sarah Barham block began an eight-point Wofford run, its third of the day. All but one of those points were a kill or block by Zeman or Barham, the lone exception being a Victoria Hensley ace to round it all out. Georgia State did not give in, chipping away throughout the set until a 22-22 deadlock late. But Bella Zeman got to work, sending in a kill before an error set up Kennedy Smith to record the set-winning block.
 
Thought the first two sets were close, set three saw the Terriers begin to fully take advantage of their momentum. Wofford won nine of the first 12 points and eventually led 20-11 late. Mary Emily Morgan and Bella Zeman scored kills late for a 23-13 lead. A service error gave the Panthers a point, but Zeman did what she does best, notching her 20^th kill of the match. At match point, Morgan sent home a service ace to end the match and day with a Terrier win.
 
Wofford is back in action tomorrow afternoon in the finale of the Terrier Invite against Presbyterian. The Blue Hose also sit at 2-0 in the event, so the 2:00 p.m. contest will crown the first-ever Terrier Invite champion after Georgia State and SC State tangle in the morning session at 11:00 a.m. in the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium.