AUBURN, Ala. – The Wofford volleyball team left it all on the court Saturday afternoon in Neville Arena, pushing the Auburn Tigers to their limit despite falling in four sets (19-25, 25-23, 21-25, 17-25) in the War Eagle Invitational. The Terriers conclude the opening weekend of play at 1-2, and the Tigers are now 3-0.
 
Wofford played Auburn close despite the Tigers holding the statistical edge. Auburn notched only two more digs (81-79) and 10 more kills (64-54). The Terriers were close in blocking, too, with six to 10 for the Tigers. Auburn's greatest advantage in the contest was hitting efficiency, as the Tigers' clip of .271 was 100 points better than the .171 mark of the Terriers.
 
Multiple Terriers shined with their individual efforts in the match, highlighted by a pair of double-doubles. Taylor Pecht tallied the 10^th of her career with a team-best 21 assists and 14 digs. The sophomore tallied a double-double in all three matches this weekend. Mary Emily Morgan also recorded her 10^th and second in as many contests with 12 kills and a team-leading 21 digs, one short of her career best.
 
Sarah MacLean led the attacking efforts with 15 kills and a .355 hitting clip. Chloe Smith was close to double figures with eight, and Bradley Brown was right behind with seven. Pacing their efforts were Pecht's 21 assists and Maddy Frazier's 16. Bri Mahoney added nine of her own, a new career high.
 
Defensively, four Terriers tallied double-digit digs, led by Morgan and Pecht. Mahoney recorded 11, narrowly missing a double-double due to her assists. Frazier also fell just short of one with her nine digs. Smith recorded 10 digs to also knock on the door. MacLean added a career-best eight digs.
 
Annemarie Rakoski paced the blocking with a career-high five swats. Natalie Arnold contributed four, and Morgan added one.
 
The first set was a see-saw affair, tied at 15 in the middle portions. A kill by Bradley Brown pushed the Terriers ahead by one before a Tiger kill tied the match once more. Chloe Smith's kill regained the Terrier advantage, but the Tigers used a four-point run for separation. Annemarie Rakoski and Natalie Arnold teamed up for a block to pull back within two, but Auburn claimed five of the next six points to clinch the first set 25-19.
 
Needing a response, the Terriers used a four-point swing early in set two to claim a lead. Sarah MacLean tallied a kill, followed by one from Mary Emily Morgan and a block by Rakoski and Morgan. A Tiger error ended the run with Wofford up 14-7. The Terriers kept the Tigers at bay for a while, leading 20-16 after Rakoski and Arnold delivered another block. But Auburn pushed back and eventually tied the set at 23-all. However, Arnold tallied a clutch kill, and an ensuing Tiger error clinched the set for Wofford 25-23.
 
With the match tied at a set apiece, both teams jostled for control in the third set. Auburn led 18-15 late in the set, but the Terriers found a rhythm with a block by Smith and Brown. Smith then delivered a kill, and Rakoski contributed one of her own to tie the set at 18-all. The next two points went Auburn's way, but Arnold's kill pulled the Terriers within one again. Rakoski and MacLean each added kills late, but Auburn won five of the last seven rallies to clinch the set 25-21.
 
Backs against the wall, the Terriers battled hard and kept the fourth set close early. A three-point run tied the set at 10-all after Rakoski, MacLean and Morgan all notched kills. A pair of Tiger points were followed by two MacLean kills to keep the set level. But the Tigers claimed six points in a row to pull ahead 18-12. A service error broke the run, but the momentum still rested with Auburn, who won the next point. Smith and Brown notched back-to-back kills, but the Tigers were in a groove and finished off the set 25-17 to win the match.
 
Wofford will return home next weekend for the first matches in the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium this season. The Terriers will host the Wofford Invitational, which begins on Friday, September 6, with Queens, Campbell and Presbyterian coming to Spartanburg. Wofford opens with a battle against the Royals at 9:30 a.m. on Friday.