SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Behind an electric crowd in the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium, the Wofford volleyball team delivered nine aces alongside three double-doubles to hand The Citadel its second loss of the season in a five-set battle (25-21, 22-25, 25-19, 21-25, 15-12) Thursday night. The second-straight five-set triumph lifts Wofford to 17-7 (8-5 SoCon) while The Citadel drops to 23-2 (11-2 SoCon).
 
The Terriers felt the support of a strong crowd of 426 tonight, the second-highest attendance for a Wofford volleyball match inside the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. The only attendance higher was from the building's first-ever match when Wofford faced Furman on September 20, 2017 in front of 521 fans.
 
The energy helped the Terriers ride to nine total aces to just the two of The Citadel. Though the Bulldogs found an edge at the net with 13 blocks to Wofford's 10, the Terriers tallied more kills (64-54) and assists (59-50). Wofford also recorded 110 digs, tying for the 10^th most in a single match in program history.
 
"Our scouting report said to let nothing hit the ground. You don't know if you're going to get a ball up if you don't try," said Taylor Pecht of the team's defensive prowess. "I think that everyone that was in the back row, everyone that was playing was really pursuing that. And it just felt really good to know that someone was going to go for every ball that you touch."
 
That defensive effort was paced by freshman Laney Klika, who recorded a new career-best 33 digs in just her second match at libero. That dig total ties for the sixth most by a Terrier in a match ever. Mary Emily Morgan added a career-high 22 of her own.
 
"I told Lynze (Roos) at the beginning of the year that I'm ready for whatever she has to throw at me, and getting this opportunity – I'm going to make the most of it," said Klika of her defensive performance. "I'm just really grateful that I have girls around me that are supporting me. I have a coach that has my back. And tonight I knew I had people around me who were there for me, and that makes my job easy."
 
Not to be outdone, the Terrier offense was also in full effect with four players owning double-digits kills. Another freshman led the way in Bri Mahoney with 14 kills. Millie Loehr and Morgan each tallied 13, and Sarah Barham added 11. Ever efficient, the senior duo of Barham and Loehr each hit .333 in the contest to pace the squad. With her 13 kills and 22 digs, Morgan notched her fifth double-double of the season and the eighth of her career.
 
"It really just goes back to how everyone worked in our defense; it was a defensive game," said Loehr of the balanced attack. "We got so many digs, and that just allowed us to get those kills, and also our setters to put the ball up where we needed it."
 
Morgan's double-double was one of three by the Terriers, as both setters also secured one. Emily Hodsdon dished 28 assists to go with her 13 digs for her team-leading eighth double-double of the campaign. The 30^th of her career, Hodsdon now claims sole possession of seventh on Wofford's all-time leaderboard. Taylor Pecht added 25 helpers with her 11 digs for her sixth double-double.
 
Pecht also led the Terrier service efforts, sending home five total aces, a new career high. She is the first Terrier with five aces in a match since Robyn Krause recorded five against Samford on October 23, 2021. Loehr tallied two aces, and Abbey Richman and Morgan each added one.
 
Loehr topped the blocking efforts with five, and Barham was not far behind with three of her own.
 
The first set established the tone of the match in which both teams traded haymakers like heavyweight boxers for a back-and-forth close tilt. The Citadel pulled level at 8-8 with a kill, but Wofford responded with a Mary Emily Morgan kill to spark a five-point run that featured a pair of aces from Taylor Pecht for a 13-8 lead. The Bulldogs tried their best to keep pace from there, pulling within two points multiple times, including 22-20 and 23-21. But Bri Mahoney's kill created set point, and a Bulldog error established a first-set win for Wofford.
 
The Terriers kept the momentum rolling entering the second set, opening with a 7-3 lead. But The Citadel chipped away and pulled level at 11-all before using a five-point swing to pull ahead 17-13. Unfazed, Wofford responded in kind with a four-point run highlighted by a pair of Bri Mahoney kills and a Millie Loehr ace, tying the set at 17-17. The teams continued to jostle for position in a set that featured nine total ties, and the Bulldogs pulled ahead 22-20 late. However, Loehr delivered a kill, and Taylor Pecht sent in an ace to tie the set once more. But the Bulldogs won the next three points to claim set two and even the match.
 
Wofford responded well out of the gates in the third, using a five-point run to pull ahead 9-4. Sarah Barham delivered a kill and block, and Mary Emily Morgan added a denial of her own. Two more Barham kills later in the set had Wofford ahead 19-13 with the Terriers poised to run away from there. But The Citadel showed resolve, fighting back to pull within two, 21-19. That was when Wofford used a Millie Loehr kill to hit a groove that carried the Terriers to the end of the set. Loehr's kill started a four-point swing that ended with a Taylor Pecht ace to ice the third frame, 25-19, in favor of Wofford.
 
The fourth set was another see-saw battle, as Bri Mahoney's kill gave the Terriers an 8-6 lead before five-straight Bulldog points swung the score to 11-8 in favor of The Citadel. Wofford used a three-point swing in the middle portions to pull within one, 15-14, but the Bulldogs responded with the next two points to stay ahead. After pulling to a 19-15 lead, The Citadel gave up another kill to Mahoney, which began a string of 12-straight rallies to conclude the set with the teams trading points. Mahoney's seventh kill of the set pulled the Terriers to within 24-21, keeping the set alive, but The Citadel notched a kill on the following point to claim a 25-21 set four victory, forcing a decisive fifth frame.
 
For a second consecutive match, Wofford entered a fifth set against an in-state rival, and looking to repeat last Saturday's five-set victory over Furman, the Terriers used back-to-back kills by Natalie Arnold and Sarah Barham to hold an early 8-6 lead. The Citadel would get the next two points to tie the set, which featured eight total ties and three lead changes. Tied again at 9-9, a Bulldog error set up Abbey Richman on the service line, where she delivered an ace for an 11-9 edge. The Citadel stayed within a point for a few more rallies, but a service error gave way to a Millie Loehr block, setting up match point at 14-11. The Bulldogs used a block of their own to stay alive, but Mary Emily Morgan called game with her kill, giving the Terriers back-to-back wins in five-set thrillers.
 
Wofford remains home tomorrow night to welcome UNCG to town. First serve against the Spartans is set for 7:00 p.m. inside Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium.