CLEMSON, S.C. – After dropping set one Saturday afternoon inside Jervey Gym, the Wofford volleyball team battled back to claim each of the next three sets for a four-set victory (21-25, 25-20, 25-16, 25-23) in the season opener against Middle Tennessee State. Wofford improves to 1-0 on the young campaign with its triumph in Clemson's Big Orange Bash, and MTSU falls to 0-2.
 
Despite a stumble out of the gates with eight attack errors in the first set to Middle Tennessee's one, the Terriers rebounded to out-hit the Blue Raiders .322 to .230 for the full match, including fewer errors, 18-22. Wofford would commit just three, one and six errors in each of the successive sets. MTSU did notch two more aces, 6-4, but Wofford bested the Blue Raiders in blocks (9-7), assists (61-53) and digs (54-52).
 
"I think our team is really resilient," said senior Millie Loehr of the bounce-back after dropping set one. "We're also really strong mentally, and I think that really showed. We were pushed in that first set, and we came back with the right attitude. We stayed calm and composed and didn't lose our cool or freak out. I think that's what I'm most proud of."
 
The Terriers sent home 66 total kills in the contest, aided by a balanced attack of five players with 10 or more. Mary Emily Morgan and Addison Foote led the way with 13 apiece, with Foote tying her career high. Morgan added 15 digs to tie for the team lead and notch her first double-double of the campaign and the fourth of her career. Morgan also hit at a team-leading .462 mark with just a single error on 26 swings.
 
"I honestly have to say a lot of that goes to our setters," said Foote of the balanced attack. "On the serve and pass line, we've been working really hard on making sure our passes are accurate, and then that's our setters' job to give our hitters a good set. And they did exactly that; our sets were amazing the entire game, and it was very easy to score because of that."
 
Sarah Barham, Millie Loehr and Sarah MacLean each totaled 10 kills. All three hit over .300 in the match. Loehr matched her career best with seven blocks, and MacLean added four of her own.
 
Emily Hodsdon led with 29 assists, but freshman Taylor Pecht was not far behind with 24 helpers of her own. She added a team-best two aces, and her 11 digs provided her with a double-double in her collegiate debut.
 
"It feels really good," said Pecht of her debut double-double. "Everyone around me makes me super comfortable, but it also wasn't up to me. Blockers put up a good block so I can see around it and get in my defense, and they give me good passes so I can get an assist."
 
Abbey Richman tied Morgan for the team's dig lead with 15, stretching her double-digit dig streak to 22 consecutive matches dating back to last season.
 
Wofford seemed to be rolling from the start by claiming each of the first four points and leading 6-3 early after a Sarah MacLean kill. But MTSU battled back to tie the contest at 6-6 and 7-7 before pulling ahead 9-7. Freshman Ella Schomer tallied a kill to tie the match once more at 9-9, but MTSU again pulled level. The teams would trade a plethora of blows in the first set, tying one another a total of 12 times. But Wofford was never quite able to regain its edge, staying just a step behind as the Blue Raiders opened the match with a 25-21 set one win.
 
With a 14-7 lead in set two, MTSU looked to be running away, but the Terriers remained resilient, rattling off three-straight points. Though the Blue Raiders broke the run with a kill, Wofford bounced back with a five-point swing, highlighted by a pair of tandem blocks from Millie Loehr and Sarah MacLean. This evened the set at 15. Sarah Barham provided set point for Wofford later with a kill, and though MTSU pulled the score to 24-20, Mary Emily Morgan tied the match at a set apiece by slamming home a kill.
 
Set three was another close tilt until the Terriers tallied five out of six points in the middle goings to claim a 20-13 lead. Wofford did not look back from there, setting the stage for Sarah MacLean to assist Millie Loehr on a block for set point, and then MacLean sealed the deal with a kill off an Emily Hodsdon assist. The 25-16 set four win brought Wofford within a set of victory.
 
The Terriers could taste a triumph, and they roared to an early 6-1 lead in the fourth frame. But the Blue Raiders showed no quit, chipping away until they tied the set at 21-all. But Sarah Barham responded with a kill, and Abbey Richman followed with an ace. Though MTSU would stay close at 24-23, Millie Loehr delivered the dagger with a booming swing to seal the four-set win for Wofford in the season's first match.
 
"We were so close, and we had really good runs of points in the first set, but we were never able to just hold serve," said junior Mary Emily Morgan of the bounce back from set one. "Going into the second set, we wanted to focus on playing good defense and cleaning up our errors and just talking more. I feel like our communication just flowed in the second, third and fourth sets, and that was why we were able to be so successful."
 
Wofford concludes its stint in the Big Orange Bash tomorrow afternoon against host Clemson. The contest is set to start at 1:00 p.m. in Jervey Gym, and it can be seen on ACC Network Extra.