CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Wofford volleyball team was locked in a hard-fought battle Saturday night at McAlister Field House, but The Citadel would pull out the win in five sets (26-24, 24-26, 25-19, 25-27, 9-15). Wofford drops to 11-5 (3-1 SoCon) as the Bulldogs improve to 8-7 (2-2 SoCon).
 
The match was incredibly even between the teams. Wofford tallied more aces, 9-7, but The Citadel claimed more blocks, 8-6. While the Bulldogs held a slight advantage in kills, 61-59, the Terriers recorded a few more assists, 56-51.
 
Sarah MacLean led the way was one of three Terriers to tally double-digit kills with 14 to her name. With only three errors on 33 swings, she hit .333 to pace the squad. Mary Emily Morgan added 13 kills, and Bradley Brown posted 11. Annemarie Rakoski was just shy of double figures with eight.
 
Taylor Pecht paced the offense with 34 assists, matching her career high. Maddy Frazier added 21. With 14 digs, Pecht recorded her eighth double-double of the season and the 15^th of her career. Frazier added 10 digs for her third double-double. With 29 digs, Laney Klika paced the team. Morgan's 11 digs provided her with her fifth double-double of the campaign and the 13^th of her career. Rounding out a quintet of Terriers with double-digit digs is Chloe Smith with her 13 to tie her career best.
 
At the service line, Morgan and Frazier tallied three aces each as both matched their career highs. Rakoski led the blocking efforts with four denials.
 
The Terriers came out of the gates hot, claiming four of the first five points. The opening run saw Bri Mahoney deliver an ace with two kills by Sarah MacLean. But setting a tone for the night, The Citadel fought back and took an 8-7 lead. Wofford pushed back with a block by Bradley Brown and Natalie Arnold to precede a Mary Emily Morgan ace. A five-point run for the Bulldogs pushed them ahead 15-10, but an error helped Wofford sideout and sparked a 7-2 Terrier swing. Morgan's kill capped the run with set tied at 17-all. The Citadel found another groove, however, and pulled up to set point at 24-20. A service error would again provide Wofford with a sideout and spark another Terrier run, but this time Wofford claimed six points in a row to take the set. Arnold followed the error with a kill before two more Bulldog errors occurred. Rakoski and Mahoney teamed for a block, and then Rakoski went solo on the swat to seal the 26-24 set one win.
 
Set two was again tight with The Citadel ahead 10-8 early. Rakoski tallied back-to-back kills, though, kicking off a 6-1 Terrier run to put Wofford ahead 14-11. A six-point Bulldog run followed, however, pushing them in front 17-14. Wofford chipped away to tie the set at 18-all with a Chloe Smith kill, but a Rakoski kill would later have Wofford in front 21-20. The teams traded three-point runs with a Bulldog error marking a 24-23 Wofford set point. But three-straight points went to The Citadel afterward, and the Bulldogs claimed set two 26-24.
 
The Citadel led set three 14-11 in the middle portions before Wofford hit a rhythm with a seven-point run. Again, a Bulldog service error provided the sideout. What ensued was Bradley Brown getting to work with a block and two kills, highlighting the swing to push Wofford in front 18-14. Wofford remained in control from there with Smith's kill creating set point and a Bulldog error marking a 25-19 set three win.
 
Set four again saw a back-and-forth effort between the squads. Rakoski tallied a kill in the middle portions for a 16-13 lead. But a seven-point run for The Citadel flipped the margin to 20-16 for the Bulldogs. Wofford responded with a three-point swing to pull within a point, but The Citadel won the following two points. After trading a pair of points, Wofford won three-straight points thanks to kills by MacLean and Brown and a Maddy Frazier ace. Tied at 23, the teams again traded blows with Morgan tying the set at 24-all. The Citadel notched kill that was matched by Brown. However, the Bulldogs took the next two points to win set four 27-25 and force a deciding fifth set.
 
The final frame was tied at four early. Laney Klika provided an ace with a MacLean kill for the tie. The Citadel embarked on a four-point run thereafter, but back-to-back Terrier points, punctuated by a Smith kill, brought Wofford within 8-6. But the Bulldogs had a rhythm, claiming five of the next six points to lead 13-7. Arnold notched a kill, but a Bulldog kill marked match point. After a The Citadel service error, the Bulldogs recorded a kill to take the match in five.
 
Wofford remains on the road next weekend to close out the four-match road stint. The Terriers first face ETSU on Friday, October 11, at 3:00 p.m. in Johnson City, Tennessee, before heading to Cullowhee, North Carolina, to face Western Carolina the following night.