BOONE, N.C. – The Wofford volleyball team opened its three-day stint in the Black and Gold Invitational with a straight-set triumph (25-14, 25-19, 25-16) Thursday evening over the Winthrop Eagles at the Holmes Convocation Center. The Terriers improve to 5-2 with the win as the Eagles drop to 2-3.
 
The victory is Wofford's fourth in a row, all in straight sets. This is the first time the Terriers have secured four consecutive sweeps since opening Southern Conference play in such fashion last season.
 
Wofford controlled most aspects of the game, most notably the service line and net. The Terriers tallied season bests with seven aces and 12 blocks as the Eagles only mustered one and three, respectively. Though Wofford recorded only five more kills, 36-31, it was because of a much cleaner attack. Wofford was guilty of just 11 attack errors and hit .229 in the contest while Winthrop committed 23 such mistakes and hit just .069 on the day. Digs were even at 57 apiece with the Terriers dishing a few more assists, 31-27.
 
Freshman Bradley Brown lived up to her SoCon Offensive Player of the Week nod earlier this week by posting another quality performance, topping the squad with six blocks and two aces. She set a new career high for aces and matched her previous benchmark for blocks while adding seven kills, second most on the squad. Brown hit .429 in the contest, one of three Terriers with at least 10 attempts to hit over .400.
 
Sarah MacLean led the way with 11 kills and a .526 hitting clip. Natalie Arnold added five kills with a .400 mark. Annemarie Rakoski posted five blocks to match her career best, and Mary Emily Morgan added four of her own.
 
Maddy Frazier paced the offense with 15 assists, and Taylor Pecht was right on her heels with 14 helpers. Frazier added a pair of aces and three kills.
 
Laney Klika posted 17 digs to top the Terriers after entering the match as the nation's leader in digs per set (6.06). Bri Mahoney contributed 13 of her own with Morgan adding 10 to also reach double figures.
 
Wofford opened the contest in command. Despite Winthrop claiming the first two points, the Terriers rallied to notch the ensuing six with the aid of a pair of Annemarie Rakoski blocks. Another run of six points later in the set furthered the margin to 16-6. This run saw another Rakoski swat while being punctuated by a pair of Bradley Brown aces. Winthrop was unable to gather its footing as the Terriers remained well in front. Wofford tallied five of the final six points in the set, highlighted by a Brown and Mary Emily Morgan block alongside kills from Brown and Natalie Arnold. An Eagle service error sealed the set 25-14 for the Terriers.
 
The teams seemed to jostle for position early in the second set with Wofford holding a narrow 6-5 lead after a service error. But an Eagle error sparked an eight-point swing for the Terriers that featured a Bri Mahoney block and Brown contributing a block with two kills. Mahoney's kill capped the run with Wofford ahead 14-5. The Eagles began to chip away, pulling within 19-15, but Sarah MacLean recorded a kill to keep some distance. The teams traded points from there, but the earlier Terrier run proved too costly for the Eagles. Rakoski and Mahoney put home back-to-back kills late to ice the set 25-19 for the Terriers.
 
Wofford rode that momentum into set three by tallying the first four points of the frame. Taylor Pecht opened the set with an ace, and after an error MacLean posted two kills in a row. Winthrop tallied a point, but Rakoski then struck for a kill before Mahoney's ace gave way to another MacLean kill. An Eagle error made the initial Terrier lead 8-1. Winthrop would regroup and begin to claw back, pulling within 12-8 before an error and Maddy Frazier kill created some breathing room. The teams continued to battle with an Eagle kill making the score 17-14, but MacLean's kill sparked a four-point swing for some separation. Despite a late Winthrop kill, Frazier again executed the dump kill to sideout for Wofford with a 23-16 lead. Caroline Przystup subbed in to serve, and she helped ice the contest from there as Rakoski teamed with Arnold for a block to create set point, and a set error by the Eagles ended things thereafter. With a 25-16 set three victory, Wofford tallied the straight-set triumph.
 
The Terriers continue their stay in Appalachian State's Black and Gold Invitational with a match against Clemson tomorrow afternoon. First serve is set for 3:30 p.m. with the contest streaming on ESPN+.