SPARTANBURG, S.C. – After two close sets, the Wofford volleyball team dominated set three to complete the 3-0 sweep of crosstown foe USC Upstate (25-22, 27-25, 25-16) to conclude the Wofford Invitational inside the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. The Terriers improve to 2-4 with the result.
 
Wofford utilized a stout blocking effort, doubling USC Upstate's six blocks with 12. The Terriers also outpaced the Spartans in points (61-47), kills (48-39), assists (43-35) and digs (65-57). Upstate tallied two of the three total aces in the match. The Terriers swung at a .266 clip overall, far better than the .130 percentage of the Spartans.
 
Bella Zeman led the way for Wofford with 13 kills. Emily Hodsdon dished a team-best 21 assists and tallied the lone Terrier ace. Victoria Hensley was close behind with 18 assists. Sarah Barham's eight blocks topped the team, and Mary Emily Morgan's 17 digs were also the team's lead. With nine kills, Morgan just missed out on a second consecutive double-double.
 
With seven kills on nine swings, Mille Loehr tallied a .778 hitting percentage. Of Terriers with at least 10 attempts, Barham's .375 mark led the way as the junior recorded seven kills on 16 attempts.
 
Wofford and Upstate were locked in a battle in set one. The Spartans held an 11-9 lead in the middle portions, but a five-point run flipped the script, giving the Terriers a 14-11 lead. Wofford held that lead until a 19-19 deadlock. Caroline Przystup notched a kill for a 20-19 edge, but the Spartans rattled off a pair of points to claim the lead (21-20). However, Wofford bounced back for four unanswered points, punctuated by Millie Loehr's kill for match point at 24-21. Though Upstate picked up the next point, Bella Zeman put the set away on the next point for the 25-22 first set win.
 
Set two saw a back-and-forth tilt the entire way. An attacking error late gave the Spartans a 24-21 lead for match point. With no margin for error, the Terriers got to work to save the set. Sarah MacLean picked up a kill, setting up a four-point Wofford run. Mary Emily Morgan tallied the second kill before two Upstate errors gave Wofford a 25-24 edge. The Spartans notched a point to save face themselves, but Morgan and Loehr put down the following kills, respectively, to close out the set and give Wofford a 2-0 lead.
 
The third set was all Wofford. The Terriers won four of the first five points and seven of the first 10. A seven-point run would be highlight of the set, which featured four kills by Bella Zeman. The Terriers held five 10-point leads the remainder of the way. Despite Upstate's best efforts to fight back, Sarah Barham swatted a pair of blocks late, and an attacking error sealed the deal. Wofford claimed the three-set sweep over its in-town rival to conclude the Wofford Invitational with a triumph.
 
Wofford hits the road next weekend but remains in the Palmetto State for its penultimate non-conference tournament. The Terriers travel down to Charleston for the College of Charleston Classic. After opening with Coastal Carolina Friday evening, Wofford challenges the host Cougars at noon on Saturday before wrapping up with Incarnate Word Saturday evening.
 
The Wofford Invitational
With a perfect 3-0 run through the tournament field, Eastern Kentucky claimed the 2022 Wofford Invitational crown. The Colonels are the first non-Wofford team to claim the crown in this fourth edition of the event. EKU's Molly Michalak was tabbed the tournament's MVP for her performances over the weekend.
 
For Wofford, Sarah Barham earned All-Tournament Team recognition for her performances. Barham has earned an all-tournament nod in back-to-back weekends now after receiving a selection for last weekend's Charlotte Invitational.
 
Below is the full Wofford Invitational All-Tournament Team:
EKU
Molly Michalak – MVP
AG Vandagriff
 
App State
Maya Winterhoff
Lauren Pledger
 
Wofford
Sarah Barham
 
USC Upstate
Briana Strobert