ROCK HILL, SC – The Winthrop volleyball team dropped matches to in-state rivals Clemson and South Carolina Saturday on the final day of the 2014 Carolina Challenge hosted at the Winthrop Coliseum.

Winthrop (3-5) came out strong against the then unbeaten Tigers in the opening set, grabbing an early 5-1 edge.  The Eagles increased their lead to as much as six before Clemson slowly started chipping away at the Winthrop advantage.  The Tigers were finally able to tie the set at 21-21 but couldn't gain a lead as Winthrop took the final four points of the opening set, winning 25-21.

In the second set, Clemson used a 7-0 run to turn a two-point lead into a 16-7 advantage.  Winthrop managed to get back only as close as five as the Tigers took the second set 25-19.

The Eagles controlled the early part of the third set, taking a 5-1 lead and continuing to lead at 14-11 before Clemson went on another big run.  A quick 5-0 spurt by the Tigers turned into a 14-3 run to end the set 25-17.

Winthrop had to dig itself out of a big hole in the fourth set, falling behind 11-3 to the Tigers.  Despite the deficit, the Eagles battled back hard and were able to get within one at 21-20, forcing Clemson into a timeout.  Out of the break, Clemson grabbed the next two points to go up 23-20 and was able to hold on for the 25-22 victory.

Sophomore Emma Weakland led the Eagles with 12 kills while junior Raveen Golston notched 10 kills.  Senior Jessie Vicic finished with 25 assists while sophomore Maria Volstad totaled 18 digs.  Junior Rachel Lenz notched nine kills and five total blocks.

In the first set against the Gamecocks both teams traded runs.  The Eagles got out to a 7-3 lead before South Carolina ran off seven straight points to take a 10-7 lead.  Winthrop responded with a quick 5-0 run to regain a 12-10 edge.  The Eagles continued to lead at 19-16 until the Gamecocks used a big 9-1 run to close the set, winning 25-20.

South Carolina dominated the majority of the second set, getting out to an 8-3 lead and extending it to as much as eight at 21-13.  Winthrop was able to pull a few points back to get as close as four at 22-18 but couldn't get any closer, falling in the second set 25-18.

The two squads were even through the first 12 points of the third set before Winthrop went on a 6-1 run to open a 12-7 advantage.  South Carolina responded with a quick 5-0 spurt to tie the set at 12-12.  Winthrop was able to slowly build its lead back to four at 19-15 but the Gamecocks came back on a 5-0 run to take a 20-19 lead.   The Eagles were unable to regain a lead as the Gamecocks took the final set 25-22.

Weakland again led the Eagles with 10 kills while Lenz added eight kills, four blocks and hit .429 for the match.  Rachel Lenz was also named to the All-Tournament Team

The Eagles will have a week off before returning to action at the Auburn Tournament where Winthrop will take on South Florida, Troy and the host Tigers.