COLUMBIA, MO – The Winthrop volleyball team fell in straight sets to Missouri and dropped a 3-1 contest to North Dakota State Saturday on the final day of the Tiger Invitational.
In the opening match of the day, Winthrop (0-3) fell 3-0 to the host Missouri Tigers. Missouri never trailed in the opening two sets. Missouri led by as much as five in the opening set and fought off an Eagle rally to take the first set 25-21. In the second set, the Tigers got off to a strong start and were able to open as much as a seven-point edge at 21-14, en route to taking the second set 25-20.
Winthrop got off to a strong start in the third set, taking an 8-2 advantage, but saw Missouri slowly chip away at the lead. The Tigers worked to tie the set at 12-12 and the teams started trading points. With the score knotted 16-16, Missouri went on a 6-1 run, taking a 22-17 lead and held off a late Winthrop rally to take the third set 25-23.
Junior Annelies Dokter led Winthrop with eight kills while fellow junior Emma Weakland added seven kills. Freshman Madilyn McCarty finished with her first career double-double with 28 assists and 13 digs, both leading the Eagles.
The Eagles played their second match of the day immediately following the first and struggled to get going in the opening set, falling 25-15 to North Dakota State. Winthrop again had a slow start to the second set, trailing 5-1 but battled back to tie the set at 15-15. North Dakota State then went on a 5-1 run, opening a 20-16 lead, and took the second set 25-20.
Winthrop had a much stronger start to the third set, and stayed alive, never trailing. The Eagles opened as much as a seven-point lead at 17-10 and led by at least five the rest of the way, taking the third set 25-20.
The fourth set was a back-and-forth battle between the two sides. Winthrop was able to pull away slightly at 12-9, but North Dakota State battled back on a 6-1 run to take a 15-13 edge. The Eagles were only able to get back within one the rest of the way, falling 25-23.
Freshman Lourdes Rosario notched a double-double, totaling 15 kills and 10 digs in the loss. Dokter also finished with a double-double with 11 kills and 10 digs. McCarty totaled 43 assists while junior Maria Volstad led the Eagles with 20 digs.
Rosario finished with 37 kills in the Tiger Invitational which earned her a spot on the All-Tournament Team.
Winthrop will remain on the road on Tuesday when the Eagles head to Spartanburg, SC for a 6 p.m. contest against the USC Upstate Spartans.
