SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Wofford volleyball team was locked in a thriller with the Valparaiso Beacons Saturday afternoon inside the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium, but the Terriers persisted and claimed a five-set triumph (25-21, 23-25, 25-22, 19-25, 15-9). Both teams are now 8-4 following the match.
 
With the win, Wofford has stretched its home winning streak to 13 matches in a row dating back to last season. It is the program's longest home win streak inside the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium (since 2017).
 
The match was played quite evenly across the board with blocks knotted up at 11 apiece. Valpo held advantages in kills (69-64), assists (69-60) and digs (94-86), but Wofford led at the service line with six aces to the four of the Beacons. Valpo held an edge in hitting percentage with a .237 clip to the .225 mark of Wofford, but the Terriers committed one less error with 22 to the 23 of the Beacons.
 
Sarah MacLean led the way on the attack for Wofford with 18 kills, tying her career high. With just three errors on 33 swings, she hit .455 in the match to also lead the team. Mary Emily Morgan joined her in double figures with 13 kills. Bri Mahoney tallied nine with Natalie Arnold posting seven for post to fall just shy of double-digits.
 
Taylor Pecht dished 31 assists in her return to the lineup after missing the prior two contests. With 10 digs, she recorded her sixth double-double of the season and the 13^th of her career. Maddy Frazier posted 22 helpers with a career-high 12 digs to record the first double-double of her young career.
 
Laney Klika held down the defense with 28 digs, and she added a pair of aces to tie for the team lead with Chloe Smith, who added 12 digs of her own. With Frazier and Pecht's double-doubles, four Terriers reached double-digit digs. Morgan fell one short of her own double-double with nine digs.
 
At the net, Bradley Brown led the way with six blocks, matching her career best. Half of her swats were solo. Annemarie Rakoski posted four blocks, two of which were solo. MacLean added three denials.
 
Wofford opened the contest by claiming the first three points, including an ace from Chloe Smith. Valpo would push back, eventually pulling within a point at 13-12. But Bradley Brown added a kill to spark another three-point swing with Mary Emily Morgan and Natalie Arnold also contributing kills. Wofford reached 20 points not long thereafter with Morgan and Sarah MacLean posting kills for a 20-15 lead. Valpo later tallied a kill to pull within 23-20, but an error created set point. A Beacon kill extended the set by another rally, but Arnold found the floor for the 25-21 set one win.
 
Set two was a tight, back-and-forth battle. A pair of kills by Morgan and an ace by Laney Klika gave the Terriers an early 5-4 edge. Wofford's biggest lead in the set was five points, coming at 16-11 after a four-point run. An error sparked the run, and Sarah MacLean and Annemarie Rakoski teamed for a block. After a Smith ace, Rakoski tallied a kill, but the Beacons chipped away and ultimately took a one-point lead after back-to-back kills made the score 21-20. Wofford then notched the following two points to pull back ahead, highlighted by a block by Arnold and Brown. But a three-point Valpo run created set point, and despite a Beacon error, a kill notched the set 25-23 for the Beacons.
 
With the match now level, Wofford opened the third set with authority, leading 5-2 after an Arnold kill. The teams traded blows, and a three-point Wofford run made the score 10-7 thanks to a pair of Bri Mahoney kills and a Rakoski solo block. A three-point Valpo run later evened the set at 13-all, but a Morgan kill pushed the Terriers back ahead. Both sides traded points from there as a Bradley Brown block pushed Wofford ahead by one until a Valpo kill tied the set again at 21-21. Maddy Frazier caught the Beacons off guard with a dump kill, and Rakoski put down a massive block. Mahoney scored a kill, and the Terriers suddenly held set point with a three-point swing. Though Valpo tallied a kill, Mahoney added another of her own to seal the set 25-22 for the Terriers.
 
Wofford opened set four with a Taylor Pecht ace and led 4-1 early. Again, the teams were evenly matched, and the set ensued as a see-saw battle. Valpo led 13-11 in the middle goings, but MacLean posted a kill to precede a Beacon error to tie the set. After two Valpo points, Arnold's kill pulled Wofford back within a point. However, the Beacons found a groove with a four-point run and led 19-14. After trading some more points, the Terriers pulled within three thanks to a MacLean kill and Klika ace. With the score 22-19, Valpo earned the next three points to force a fifth set with a 25-19 set four margin.
 
The Beacons won the first two points in the fifth frame before Rakoski and MacLean's kills tied the set. A Valpo kill pushed the Beacons in front by one, but Mahoney posted one her own and sparked a six-point Terrier run. Morgan added a block and two kills, and the run was punctuated by Rakoski and MacLean teaming for a block to make the Wofford lead 8-3. After trading some points, Wofford found another rhythm for a three-point swing. Bradley Brown's kill made the score 12-6. After trading a couple more points, a service error created set point at 14-8. Valpo responded with a kill to stay alive, but an attack error ended the contest with Wofford winning the five-set thriller.
 
After claiming both matches in the Terrier Invite to win the event, Wofford has concluded non-conference play and sets its sights on Southern Conference action. The Terriers welcome Chattanooga and Samford to Spartanburg next week to open league play with the conference opener set for Thursday, September 26, at 6:00 p.m. against the Mocs.
 
Terrier Invite
Upon the conclusion of the event, the participating coaches named an all-tournament team that featured seven total players. Wofford, the tournament champion, boasted three representatives in Laney Klika, Sarah MacLean and Mary Emily Morgan. With 24 kills in just two matches, MacLean earned MVP honors for the Terrier Invite as she hit .447 with only three errors on 47 attempts. She added four total blocks. Klika posted 43 total digs at a rate of 5.38 per set while dishing nine assists and a pair of aces. Morgan tallied 21 kills with three aces and 16 digs.
 
The full Terrier Invite All-Tournament Team is listed below:
Presbyterian
Courtney Williams
 
South Carolina State
Kaia Barnett
 
Valpo
Emma Hickey
Elise Swistek
 
Wofford
Laney Klika
Sarah MacLean – MVP
Mary Emily Morgan