Greenville, SC – The Eagles competed for several set points but just could not come out on top of Appalachian State as they went on to win the match 3 sets to none. The evening match was a different story with the Eagles firing on all cylinders to upset the SoCon Preseason's #1 pick, Furman University, in four sets.

Appalachian State
In the first set the Eagles trailed until an 5-0 run gave them the one-point lead. That run was sparked by two Siani Yamaguchi aces and one kill. The Eagles had the first set point and then two more additional set points before Appalachian State had a 0-3 run to take the set 27-29. In the second set the Eagles went up 16-13 forcing an Appalachian State timeout. Right out of the timeout Emily Wunder had two back to back kills.  The Eagles led the entire second set but untimely errors cost them down the stretch and Appalachian State came back to win the second set 27-29. Appalachian State took control in the third set, they Eagles went on a late run, but it wasn't enough to over come the deficit. The Eagles were led by Jace Kleffner with 14 kills and Yamaguchi with 36 assists, 12 digs, and two service aces. Carlie Skelton had a team high 16 digs.

Furman University   
Jace Kleffner had an explosive first set with 10 kills and a .333 hitting efficiency to propel the Eagles to a first set victory, 25-20. In the second set, the Eagles struggled to get their offense together and had a few missed digs allowing Furman to tie up the match at one set a piece. In the third set, Furman came out on top of some long rallies, but the Eagles were not backing down. They had the first set point opportunity at 24-23 but Furman scored on a solid kill, Winthrop would answer with a kill of their own from Kleffner. From there, they exchanged set points four times until a Makayla Doyle kill gave them their last set point and Kleffner put a definite kill down for the set victory. The Eagles led for a majority of the fourth set, leading as much as five points, forcing Furman to call a timeout at 17-12. Furman would go on their own run to tie the set at 19-19 but the Eagles put their foot on the pedal and won the fourth set 25-20. In the final points of the match Phoebe Wu had a kill, an ace, a key dig, and another tough serve to help Winthrop get the win. Kleffner finished with a match and career high 22 kills.

Rey's Thoughts

"It was another good weekend, just like the last few. We are proud of the relentless effort and resiliency of the team. We have been so close in so many matches and they needed to prove to themselves they could get over the hump. They never stopped believing in themselves and did a better job adjusting throughout tonight's match. Although, I think it was the support from our wonderful Alumnae in attendance that was a big factor for tonight's success. We are all growing together, current team members and our loyal alumnae, that is making this journey even more special," said head coach Chuck Rey. "Jace had a very good match, but she is only scratching the surface. But it's consistency over time that will show you she even better than tonight's performance. Phoebe is returning to her form as a great passer and hitter and it was wonderful to see Sammie-Jo step-up and make some key digs in crucial situations. I could name each player on this team for their effort, not just tonight, but throughout this practice week leading to this weekend."

"I must admit, I used some perils of wisdom from the great Cid Carvahlo tonight. The support from the coaches at Winthrop is another reason I returned to Winthrop. We share a coaches Bible study together led by Winthrop Hall of Famers, Joe Hudak and Angie Lanier. Cid always drops knowledge and shares insight on how to be a Champion. He unknowingly helped us tonight. Our Winthrop family is awesome!

Up Next
On Tuesday, September 18 the Eagles travel to Boiling Springs, SC to play Gardner-Webb in the first conference match of the season.