Box Score

WILLIAMSBURG, VA – The Winthrop volleyball team lost the finale of the Tribe Invitational to William and Mary 3-2 (23-25, 18-25, 27-25, 25-18, 13-15), Saturday afternoon at Kaplan Arena.

The Eagles (1-2) totaled 61 kills, 101 digs and 183 total attacks. The digs total was only five shy of  tying the school's all-time record.

Leading the way with her second double-double of the year was senior outside hitter Kaley Viola. Viola finished with 15 kills and 29 digs. The 29 digs beat her original best of 26, which she recorded twice in her career. Senior outside hitter Kellie Sellers had her first double-double of the year finishing with 12 kills and 20 digs.

Freshman setter Stephanie Palmer saw her first action of the year and finished the match with 26 assists. Senior setter Kelsey Hall finished with 19 assists.

Four Eagles had double digit totals in kills. Along with Viola and Sellers, senior middle hitter Sara Felts had 15 kills, which tied for a team high, and junior middle hitter Becca Toor posted 11 kills. Four Winthrop players also finished with double-digit digs with senior libeiro Kelsey Harrison tying her career-best with 21 and sophomore defensive specialist Kristin Cruse tallying 10.

The first set went to the Tribe after coming back from a 20-14 deficit. William & Mary scored eight straight points and continued to roll en route to a 25-23 set win.

The Eagles never got it going in the second set as the Tribe jumped out to a 7-0 run at 17-16. Kills from Tribe players Paulette Grand Pre and Shaylin O'Connell put the set out of reach. William & Mary took the set by a score of 25-18.

“We made too many unforced errors in the second set,” Polhamus added.

Winthrop jumped out of the blocks quickly in the third set by gaining a 4-0 lead. The Eagles never trailed in the set, but the Tribe rallied back to tie the set at 22-22. A service error by the Tribe and kill by Viola gave Winthrop a set point. William & Mary came back again due to an attacking error by Viola to make the score even again at 24-24. A kill by Felts put the Eagles up one, but a kill from the Tribe's Ginny Bray knotted up the set again. Two attacking errors by William & Mary then gave Winthrop a 27-25 set win.

“We got our composure back after the intermission,” said Polhamus.

Winthrop tied the fourth set early at 1-1 and would never relinquish the lead during the set. The Eagles overpowered the Tribe in set number four that featured back-to-back service aces from Felts. Sellers added four kills and Viola added seven digs to her total. Winthrop took the set by a score of 25-18.

In the final set, William & Mary came out quickly with a 4-1 lead. The Eagles then fought their way back to force a 7-7 tie. The teams continued to trade points until three straight points for Winthrop increased its lead up to 13-9. An attacking error by Felts gave some confidence back to the Tribe. The Eagles never scored again for the rest of the match, falling in the final set 15-13.

“After a great fourth set, I was disappointed with our finish after being up 13-9 in the fifth set,” Polhamus stated. “We have to learn how to finish.”

William & Mary was led offensively by Bray and Erin Skipper, who had 15 kills. Defensively, Celine Alasomuka led the team with 20 digs. The Tribe outnumbered Winthrop in kills 69-61.

Viola, Felts and Toor received all-tournament honors, tying tournament champions Wisconsin with the most representatives.

The Eagles will return home next weekend (Sept. 3-4) as they host The Carolina Challenge. Winthrop's first match is set for 7:30 p.m. on Fridayt as it takes on the College of Charleston Cougars. The Clemson Tigers and South Carolina Gamecocks will also participate in the two-day tournament that will be held at the Winthrop Coliseum.