SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Wofford volleyball team battled back from a 2-1 deficit Saturday night to force a fifth frame against Marshall in the Wofford Invitational, but the Thundering Herd claimed the match in the end (25-22, 20-25, 19-25, 25-14, 9-15) inside the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. Wofford drops to 3-7 as Marshall improves to 7-5 with both teams having split two games in the tournament.
 
The contest was played evenly with Wofford holding a 61-56 kills advantage and 58-51 assists edge. The Terriers owned 81 digs to edge out the Herd's 78. Wofford had one more ace, 8-7, but Marshall tallied one more block, 9-8. The Herd hit .218 with 19 errors whereas the Terriers had a .206 clip with 25 miscues.
 
The Terrier attack was balanced with four players owning double-digit kills. Natalie Arnold and Chloe Smith led the way with 15 each as Arnold's tally was a career high. Annemarie Rakoski also accrued a career high with 12 kills, and Bradley Brown added 10. Rakoski hit a solid .435 with just two errors in her 23 attacks.
 
The setting tandem of Taylor Pecht and Maddy Frazier each recorded 20-plus assists. Pecht topped the duo with 31 helpers as Frazier dished 20. On the back line, Laney Klika amassed 32 digs to pace all players in the match. Smith added 16 with Pecht posting 10 for each to notch a double-double. Smith's is her fourth this season as Pecht's is her third (25^th career). Klika, Brown, and Caroline Przystup each recorded two aces in the contest.
 
At the net, Rakoski swatted away six blocks with four being solo. Rakoski has advanced to seventh on Wofford's all-time solo blocks leaderboard, now owning 73 in her career. Smith added two blocks.
 
Set one was a see-saw affair with Marshall leading 12-10 in the middle goings. Annemarie Rakoski notched a kill to spark a three-point run, pushing the Terriers ahead 13-12. The teams traded blows with another three-point Wofford run making the lead 17-14 thanks to a Caroline Przystup ace and Bradley Brown kill. Marshall gave its pushes to come back, but the Terriers were able to remain just a step ahead the rest of the way. The Herd pulled within one point six times, but each time Wofford held firm. The last was a 23-22 Wofford lead that saw Chloe Smith's kill bring about set point, and another Przystup ace notched the frame 25-22.
 
Wofford held an early 6-3 lead in the second stanza with a pair of kills from Natalie Arnold. Marshall continued to keep it tight, but Annemarie Rakoski's kill made it a 16-13 lead for the Terriers. However, Marshall responded with a four-point lead for a 17-16 edge. Wofford kept pace with Chloe Smith's kill making the deficit 21-19, but a three-point Herd run created set point. Despite a Rakoski kill, Marshall took the set 25-20 to even the match.
 
The Herd led 10-7 to begin set three before Chloe Smith put home a kill followed by a Taylor Pecht ace to bring the Terriers within one. Marshall embarked on an 8-2 run thereafter, however, pushing the Herd ahead 18-11. The Terriers began to chip away, ultimately pulling back within 22-18 after kill by Annemarie Rakoski and Natalie Arnold. It was not enough, though, as the Herd would complete the set 25-19 for a 2-1 lead in the contest.
 
Needing a response, Wofford opened set four on a heater with a 7-2 lead. Natalie Arnold posted a pair of kills with a Laney Klika ace. Freshman Lauren Marschke added her first-career kill as she made her collegiate debut to begin the set. Wofford stayed on top of Marshall, holding a 16-9 lead later with a kill by Arnold. A three-point run later pushed Wofford ahead 21-11 thanks to a Chloe Smith kill and back-to-back kills from Anna Adcock. Bradley Brown then took charge with a pair of kills and an ace not long thereafter, and Adcock's third kill in short succession iced the set 25-14 to force a fifth frame.
 
The deciding set opened in back-and-forth fashion. Annemarie Rakoski opened the set with a solo block as neither team claimed consecutive points until Marshall had a five-point run after Wofford tied the set at 6-6. Rakoski struck again to pull Wofford within 11-7. However, that Herd run in the middle portions proved too much to overcome, as despite another Rakoski putaway and another from Chloe Smith, Marshall held on to win 15-9.
 
The Wofford Invitational concludes tomorrow with three more matches. After two neutral site contests during the day, the Terriers face Northern Arizona at 6:00 p.m. to put a bow on the event. All matches will take place inside the Jarry Richardson Indoor Stadium.