SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Wofford volleyball team put forth a hefty fight Saturday night in the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium against the ETSU Buccaneers, who pushed the Terriers to five sets and ultimately pulled out the win (25-21, 16-25, 25-21, 23-25, 13-15). Wofford drops to 19-7 (11-3 SoCon) on the season as ETSU improves to 16-10 (8-6 SoCon).
 
Tonight's contest served as senior night for Wofford, who honored its three senior Terriers prior to the match: Sarah MacLean, Mary Emily Morgan and Mad Wilson. All three were in the starting lineup, with Wilson's start marking the first of her career.
 
Statistically, both teams were quite even with one another. ETSU held a slight offensive edge, hitting .195 compared to Wofford's .182 mark. The Bucs held a kills advantage (62-55) and assists lead (59-54), but Wofford claimed an edge at the net with one more block (15-14). Those 15 blocks are a new single-match high for the Terriers this season. ETSU provided one more ace (8-7) and 11 more digs (82-71).
 
Wofford's offense was led by Sarah MacLean with her 18 kills, tying her career high. She also topped the team with a .417 hitting clip with only three errors in 36 attacks. Mary Emily Morgan joined her in double figures with 12 kills, adding in 10 digs for her second-straight double-double, which is the 17^th of her career and her ninth this season. Bri Mahoney added seven kills, and Annemarie Rakoski posted six. Bradley Brown hit .400 with five kills and just one error in 10 swings.
 
Taylor Pecht quarterbacked the offense with a career-best 35 assists, adding in 11 digs for her 20^th career double-double. It's her 13^th this season. Maddy Frazier added 14 helpers and tallied her fifth double-double with 10 digs. Frazier sent home a team-high three aces, and Laney Klika added two. Pecht and Morgan each posted one.
 
Defensively, Klika led the way with 20 digs as one of five Terriers in double figures. Mahoney, Pecht, Morgan and Frazier all recorded at least 10 as well. At the net, Rakoski tallied nine denials for a second consecutive night, tying the career high she set in last night's match. Five of those swats were solo. MacLean added four blocks, and Mahoney posted three solo denials.
 
The entire match was a see-saw affair with 40 total ties and 14 lead changes. Set one set the tone early with 10 ties and three lead changes. ETSU scored the first point of the night, but Annemarie Rakoski had a quick response with a kill of her own. The teams would jostle for control from there, as Mary Emily Morgan pushed Wofford up by a point with a kill before a service error tied the set once more at 12-all. However, Sarah MacLean struck for a kill, and after an ETSU error Maddy Frazier sent in an ace. That run pushed Wofford ahead 15-12 for a lead that would hold. ETSU kept it close with a fight, though, pulling within two points later in the set at 18-16. Bri Mahoney and Morgan both posted kills to create some breathing room, however, and soon thereafter a three-point run brought about set point. Morgan and MacLean posted kills with an error capping the run with the score 24-18. ETSU claimed the next three points, but Bradley Brown put home a kill to win the set 25-21.
 
Set two was again tight early as a Maddy Frazier dump kill evened the set at 7-7. The teams traded the next two points before the Bucs found a groove and went on a five-point run for a 13-8 lead. That hole proved too much to climb out of, as though Wofford gave a good fight in response, ETSU stayed just one step ahead the rest of the way, winning the set 25-16 to even the match.
 
Both teams traded runs early in the third set with ETSU using a four-point swing to pull ahead by one, 11-10. But Morgan responded with a kill, and a Laney Klika ace pushed Wofford up by a point. An ETSU three-point run pushed the Bucs up 18-15 later in the frame, but Wofford had one of its own to fire back with Natalie Arnold striking for a kill followed by a pair of ETSU miscues. After the Bucs won the next point, MacLean provided a kill that jolted a five-point run for the Terriers, featuring two blocks by and a kill by Rakoski. ETSU won two in a row to keep things close at 23-21, but an error set up MacLean for the clincher as Wofford won the third set 25-21.
 
Wofford held an early edge in set four, using a Morgan ace to lead 10-6. But ETSU began to chip away, pulling within 11-10 before Mahoney's kill provided a touch of distance. Morgan struck again later for a 15-13 edge, but the Bucs won three in a row to lead 16-15. Morgan tied the set, but back-to-back Buc kills provided them an 18-16 edge. The Terriers kept fighting, as Rakoski's kill pulled Wofford within 21-18. But back-to-back points for ETSU kept Wofford at arm's length. The Terriers found some late life when Chloe Smith put home a kill, sparking a three-point run that saw MacLean add a kill before Smith posted another. ETSU followed with a kill for set point, but Rakoski notched a solo denial to precede a Klika ace, pulling Wofford within a point at 24-23. However, ETSU tallied a kill on the next rally to win the set 25-23 and force a deciding fifth frame.
 
ETSU jumped out to an early 7-4 lead, riding the momentum from set four. But Smith and Brown teamed for a block, sparking a three-point run that leveled the set at 7-all. ETSU won two of the following three points to remain in front 10-8, but Wofford battled back. Settling in, MacLean put home back-to-back kills before teaming with Rakoski on a block. Morgan finished off a four-point run with her own kill, and Wofford led 12-10. But an ETSU block flipped the momentum once more, and a four-point run pushed the Bucs to match point at 14-12. Morgan kept Wofford alive with a kill, but an error marked a 15-13 set five win for ETSU, who took the match in five.
 
The Terriers will conclude the regular season next weekend with a pair of road matches. Wofford first travels to Macon, Georgia, to face Mercer at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, November 15. The Terriers return to the Palmetto State to face rival Furman the following day in Greenville for the regular season finale. That match is scheduled for a 4:00 p.m. start. The Southern Conference Tournament will follow the next weekend, hosted by Wofford in the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium.