Wofford College Athletics

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Behind Sarah Barham's 20 kills and 11 blocks, Wofford volleyball outlasted ETSU in five sets (19-25, 25-16, 25-20, 23-25, 15-7) Saturday night inside Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium to win on Senior Night. Wofford concludes the regular season at 20-7 and 11-5 in the SoCon, and ETSU drops to 5-22 (5-11 SoCon).
 
This is Wofford's first 20-win season since notching 22 victories in 2017. The 11 SoCon wins are a new program record, topping the previous high of 10. Wofford concludes the regular season in third place in the SoCon, a new program-best finish.
 
Before the match, Wofford honored its six seniors: Sarah Barham, Addison Foote, Emily Hodsdon, Millie Loehr, Abbey Richman and Elise Schneider. All six were in the starting lineup.
 
Wofford controlled the net with 20 blocks on the night to just eight for ETSU. Those 20 denials tie for the second most in a single match in program history and are the most for the Terriers since also posting 20 against Mercer in March of 2021.
 
The Terrier offense was also stout, hitting at a .299 clip with 17 errors while ETSU hit .155 with 28 errors. Wofford dished more assists, 60-51.
 
Sarah Barham paced the Terriers with a career performance on her Senior Night. The Summerfield, North Carolina, native recorded 20 kills, a career high, on 30 swings with no errors. She hit .667 in the match. On the defensive end, she totaled 11 blocks, six of which were solo. This gives Barham her first-career double-double. Those 11 blocks are tied for second most in a five-set match in program history, matching Currie Gossett's 11 at Furman in 1999 and her own 11 at UNCG in 2021.
 
Natalie Arnold joined Barham in double figures with 11 kills, and Mary Emily Morgan just missed out with nine. Millie Loehr also blocked well with seven, four of which were solo. Arnold added five blocks of her own.
 
Taylor Pecht dished 26 assists to top the team, and Emily Hodsdon was not far behind with 24 helpers. Pecht also led the service efforts with three aces, and Laney Klika delivered a pair.
 
Morgan tallied the most digs for the Terriers with 16, and Addison Foote was close behind with 13. Klika added 13 her own, and Pecht fell just short of a double-double with nine digs.
 
ETSU led early in set one, but Wofford kept it close, trailing by only two in the middle portions, 14-12. But the Buccaneers went on a four-point run to pull ahead, 18-12. Wofford began to chip away, however, as Natalie Arnold put home a kill, and a Buc error led to a Millie Loehr ace to pull Wofford within three, 18-15. But ETSU would stay a step ahead despite Wofford's best efforts, claiming set one 25-19.
 
Trading blows early in set two, Addison Foote delivered a kill for a one-point lead before ETSU pulled level again at 11-11. Millie Loehr then added her own kill, starting a six-point run for the Terriers that was dominated by the middles. Sarah Barham added two kills and two blocks. Natalie Arnold aided on one of those blocks and had a kill as well, and Wofford led 17-11. ETSU would attempt to fight back, pulling to within 22-16, but Sarah MacLean put home a kill before a Buc error, and Arnold tallied the winner to even the match at a set apiece.
 
The third set was again a back-and-forth tilt early with a 14-14 score in the middle goings. But an ETSU service error started off a four-point Wofford run that included Taylor Pecht recording an ace and kill, granting the Terriers an 18-14 lead. Another four-point swing would pull Wofford to set point, as this run saw Sarah Barham again deliver a kill and block. Though ETSU recorded a few points, Barham ended the set with a kill to pull Wofford one set from victory.
 
Set four was another see-saw fight, this one featuring 12 ties and five lead changes. A Taylor Pecht service ace gave Wofford an 11-9 lead before a three-point ETSU run put the Bucs up 12-11. After trading some points, Wofford rode a four-point swing featuring two Sarah Barham kills and a Barham block for a 17-15 lead. But ETSU fought back and began to trade blows with Wofford, pulling even at 19-all. Emily Hodsdon caught the Bucs off guard with her slide kill for a 20-19 lead, but ETSU followed with three-straight points. Wofford attempted to push back, but the Bucs stayed a touch in front the rest of the way, claiming the fourth set 25-23 to force a winner-take-all fifth.
 
Sarah Barham's kill gave Wofford the first point of the fifth, but the squads traded blows with ETSU up 6-4. Addison Foote's kill made it a one-point set, but ETSU claimed the next points to make the margin two again. But Millie Loehr and Natalie Arnold tag-teamed a block, putting the serve in Loehr's hands. She would not leave the service line for the rest of the match, as Wofford embarked on a 10-point run to conclude the affair. Arnold followed her block with Loehr by teaming with Barham on a swat, and Mary Emily Morgan put down a kill. ETSU committed an error before Barham delivered a pair of solo blocks. Arnold, Barham and Morgan then each notched a kill, bringing up match point. A Buc attack error would seal the deal, giving Wofford a 15-7 win in the fifth to claim the match over ETSU.
 
With the win, Wofford concludes the regular season on a five-match winning streak and enters next weekend's Southern Conference Tournament as the No. 3 seed. That seeding is the best for the Terriers in program history. Wofford will play host to the tournament, which begins on Friday, November 17, in Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. The Terriers will open against No. 6 Western Carolina at 7:30 p.m. in the first day's nightcap.