SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Wofford volleyball team fired on all cylinders Saturday night inside the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium, besting Northern Arizona (NAU) in four sets (25-23, 25-12, 20-25, 25-15) to put a cap on the Wofford Invitational. Wofford improves to 4-7 as NAU moves to 10-3.
 
Wofford controlled the match across the board, notably on defense with 89 digs to 73 for NAU. The Terriers served up 10 aces to best NAU by four, and Wofford led at the net 11-7 in blocks. Wofford boasted more kills (60-39) and assists (59-37) while hitting .232 compared to the .129 mark of the Lumberjacks.
 
Leading the efforts for Wofford was Laney Klika with her career-high 37 digs. The number pushed her over the 1,000 threshold for her career as she became the 20^th Terrier to ever reach the milestone. The 37 digs are a program record for a four-set match and are the third-highest total for any match in program history. Caroline Przystup added a career-best 15 digs, as Chloe Smith (15) and Taylor Pecht (11) also reached double figures.
 
"It's just an honor to be named with so many amazing players that came before me," said Klika of her milestone. "I credit this to my coaches and all the girls around me. I can't do any of this without them, without all of the faith that Lynze (Roos) has put in me and all of the girls around me to just dig the ball. It means so much to me, and I would not be here without them."
 
Smith led the attack with 24 kills, matching her career high that she set Monday night at South Carolina. This marks her fifth double-double of the season and second in a row. Natalie Arnold also reached double-digits with 14 kills, hitting a team-high .333 in the contest. Pecht dished 26 assists to lead the way, marking her third-straight double-double and fourth this season (26^th career). Maddy Frazier added 17 assists, and Klika dished 13 for her third-career double-double.
 
Przystup accounted for half of Wofford's aces on the night with five. Bradley Brown added a pair, and she had four blocks. Annemarie Rakoski led the efforts at the net with seven denials, and Arnold posted three.
 
"This week we talked a lot about our personality as a team, our identity, and something we wanted to include in that is putting a lot of pressure on teams with our serves," said Przystup. "The last few games, we feel like we didn't execute that well, so tonight we said one of our main goals is to really put pressure on them and be aggressive serving."
 
NAU held an early 7-3 led in set one before Anna Adcock's kill sparked a five-point Terrier run to flip the margin in favor of Wofford, 8-7. Caroline Przystup added two aces in the run as Adcock bookended it with a kill. The Terriers added another five-point run in the middle goings, this time featuring a Taylor Pecht ace alongside a block from Annemarie Rakoski and Chloe Smith. Wofford led 14-10 and remained a step ahead as Laney Klika's ace made the margin 18-12. The Lumberjacks fought back, however, pulling level at 21-21 and ahead 23-22. However, Rakoski and Smith combined for a block to even the set, and Rakoski added a solo swat after for the lead. Smith then put home a kill for the 25-23 set one win.
 
The Terriers rode the momentum into set two, as Annemarie Rakoski and Natalie Arnold tallied kills after an initial service error by the Lumberjacks. After another error provided a sideout for Wofford at 6-4, the Terriers caught fire and rattled off an eight-point run to pull ahead 13-4. Bradley Brown, Chloe Smith, and Anna Adcock all added kills with Caroline Przystup orchestrating the run at the service line with a trio of aces, including two in a row to cap the swing. Wofford added a four-point run shortly thereafter, but the Lumberjacks attempted to push back and pulled within 21-12. But Smith struck for a kill, and after back-to-back Bradley Brown blocks, Maddy Frazier sent in an ace to clinch the set 25-12.
 
Needing a response, NAU led 6-5 before adding a four-point run for a 10-5 margin. The Terriers fought back to within 11-9, but the Lumberjacks stayed just a step ahead as the squads traded blows. A three-point Terrier run with two Chloe Smith kills and one by Bradley Brown moved Wofford level at 17, and after an NAU point, the Lumberjacks committed an error to set up a Brown ace for a 19-18 Wofford edge. However, NAU embarked on a six-point run to pull ahead 24-19. Annemarie Rakoski saved Wofford for a moment with a kill, but the Lumberjacks took the set on the following rally, 25-20.
 
The Lumberjacks stayed hot entering the fourth frame, claiming the opening four points. Chloe Smith's kill got Wofford on the board, and the Terriers chipped away with Anna Adcock's kill pulling the set level at 6-6. After trading points, the Terriers settled in with a 5-1 run, powered by a trio of Smith kills and a block from Annemarie Rakoski and Natalie Arnold. Leading 13-11, Wofford added a four-point run to pull in front 17-11. In control, Maddy Frazier could add a dump kill with Bradley Brown's kill making the score 20-13. After NAU pulled within 21-15, Adcock and Rakoski teamed on a block, and the Terriers finished off the set from there with back-to-back Smith kills and another from Arnold for the 25-15 set four win and four-set victory.
 
"It feels great, just ending on a high note," said Smith of the win to conclude non-conference action. "After the crazy preseason that we've had, and knowing that conference (play) starts next week, we're just carrying this into that."
 
With non-conference play in the books, Wofford enters Southern Conference action on Thursday, September 25, at The Citadel. Action in Charleston, South Carolina, begins at 6:00 p.m. Wofford then returns home two days later to host Western Carolina.
 
Wofford Invitational All-Tournament Team
Upon the conclusion of the event, an all-tournament team was named with eight members, including three Terriers. Wofford's Laney Klika was named the MVP of the tournament, and she was joined on the all-tournament team by Natalie Arnold and Chloe Smith.
 
The full list of honorees is below:
 
Gardner-Webb: Nalani McBride
 
Marshall: Beatrice Ciccarelli, Elli Barry
 
Northern Arizona: Hanah Stoddard, Sophia Wadsworth
 
Wofford: Natalie Arnold, Laney Klika (MVP), Chloe Smith