SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Wofford volleyball team closed its homestand in fashion with a straight-set sweep (25-18, 25-18, 25-15) of the Samford Bulldogs Friday night in front of a capacity crowd inside the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. Wofford improves to 10-4 (2-0 SoCon) with the win as Samford falls to 6-5 (0-1 SoCon). The triumph marks the 15^th in a row for the Terriers at home.
 
"Volleyball is definitely a momentum sport, so it was really cool to see all the students rallying behind us and joining in our cheers," said freshman Bradley Brown of the crowd tonight. "It was really encouraging to have the crowd with us, so it was such a fun environment to play it, and I want to keep that up."
 
The service line fueled the Terriers, who posted eight aces in the contest to top the three of the Bulldogs. Blocks were even at three apiece, but Wofford led every other statistical category in the match. Notably, the Terriers outhit the Bulldogs .306 to .168 with 44 Wofford kills to the 32 of Samford. The Terriers tallied 43 assists to the 30 of Samford with 62 digs topping the 45 of the Bulldogs.
 
"This spring we changed how we served a little bit, and the girls really bought in," said assistant coach Shannah Carter of the service success. "I think every match it's been getting better, and it just kind of culminated with this one."
 
Bri Mahoney led the charge with 11 kills. Mary Emily Morgan was just short of double figures with eight. Natalie Arnold and Bradley Brown both posted seven. Brown hit .313 with only two errors on 16 swings, and Sarah MacLean displayed efficiency as well with a .600 hitting mark on six kills, 10 hits and no errors.
 
Maddy Frazier dished 19 helpers to feed the offense, and Taylor Pecht added 15 of her own. Laney Klika's 18 digs led the defensive efforts, and Morgan added 13. Mahoney posted 9 to just miss a double-double. At the net, Morgan, Brown and Annemarie Rakoski each tallied one block, all of which were solo.
 
"I think it's just the consistency," said Frazier of feeding into the offensive success. "Me and Taylor work really hard, and we're very proud of our hitters, of course. It's very much a team effort that we're able to run such a powerful offense, and I think that the hitters have been working really hard."
 
Brown and Pecht guided the service efforts with two aces each. Morgan, Mahoney, Frazier and Caroline Przystup each recorded one.
 
Wofford roared out of the gates, opening the match up 7-3 thanks to early aces by Maddy Frazier and Bradley Brown. Samford gave a push to pull within 13-9, but a Bri Mahoney kill and Brown block pushed Wofford back up to 15-9. A Taylor Pecht ace later brought Wofford to 20 points, ahead 20-11. The Terriers pulled away with the set from there as Natalie Arnold recorded kills on the final two points for Wofford to seal the 25-18 set one win.
 
Set two was more of the same, as the Terriers led 9-3 early with Wofford recording three aces to that point in the set. After trading some blows, the Bulldogs pulled within 16-14, but a Sarah MacLean kill led to a Samford error, creating some separation. Samford stayed within two, using a pair of Wofford errors to pull within 20-18. But a Bulldog error flipped serve back to Wofford, who would not relent the rest of the set. The ensuing five-point run iced the set for the Terriers thanks to three Bulldog errors and kills from Morgan and Mahoney. Wofford again prevailed 25-18.
 
Riding the momentum, the hot Terriers led 7-3 early in the third set. The Bulldogs gave a push to pull within 13-9, but Mahoney got to work with back-to-back kills for a 15-9 advantage. After trading some blows, Brown brought Wofford to 20 with her kill. A Samford kill followed to make the margin 20-15, but Maddy Frazier caught the Bulldogs off guard with her dump kill to sideout for the Terriers. That sparked a run for Wofford with Caroline Przystup on the serve, as the Terriers won the final five points of the set to claim the match. Mahoney posted two kills after Frazier to set up Przystup's ace. With set point, Arnold delivered the winner with her kill. The Terriers won the set 25-15 and the match in straight-set fashion.
 
Wofford will hit the road next weekend to begin a stretch of four consecutive road matches. The first road trip of conference play sees the Terriers face UNCG and The Citadel. First up will be the Spartans on Friday, October 4, at 6:00 p.m. in Greensboro. The Terriers then head to Charleston to play the Bulldogs on Saturday, also at 6:00 p.m.