Washington, D.C – In their fourth five-set match of the season, the Eagles came up just short against Ohio University (25-18, 24-26, 25-20, 22-25, 8-15). The Eagles are now 2-2 for five set matches and 3-3 overall after two weekends of play. 
 
How it Happened
Set 1-The first set was back and forth with both teams trying to settle into a rhythm. The Eagles were the first ones to get there, going on a 9-2 run to take a 15-8 lead. Ohio fired off three kills out of the media timeout but Winthrop continued to control the set behind four kills from Morgan Bossler. Ohio put together a second late run to bring the set to 20-20 but Jace Kleffner was not having it; she buried three kills in four points to end the set. 
 
Set 2- It looked like the second set woes that plagued the Eagles on Friday would persist today; they found themselves in a quick 6-1 deficit, then a 9-3 deficit. The Eagles did not lose their composure and continued to chip away at Ohio's lead, recapturing the lead 17-16 off a Sydney Gunter kill. Consecutive Nikkia Benitez, Bossler, Benitez kills pushed the Eagles, 20-18. Ohio regained control after breaking the 21-21 tie and reached set point 24-22. Ohio needed two additional set points, but they got the job done, notching the match one set a piece. 
 
Set 3- Ohio delivered the first two punches of the third set but the Eagles regained control and did not let up. Bossler ran the net with three straight points, kill-block-kill, to help the Eagles to a 12-6 lead. Ohio mounted a 6-1 run to get within one point but Benitez put the hammer down to stop the run and keep a two-point lead. Gunter answered with a resounding kill of her own and in tune with the theme of the match, Benitez and Bossler put down back to back kills.  Hannah Lackey held it down in the backrow picking up 7 digs in the set. 
 
Set 4- The Eagles looked poised to put the Bobcats away in four, but a string of untimely errors late in the game allowed Ohio to force a fifth set. The defensive efforts by Ohio made it difficult for the Winthrop attackers to find the floor. The Eagles maintained a respectable .222 hitting efficiency but only managed to put away 11 team kills, compared to Ohio's 19. 
 
Set 5- Kleffner kicked off the final set with a resounding solo block but a string of two point runs by Ohio put them up 8-5 at the side switch. Ohio had Winthrop on the ropes at 10-5 but committed consecutive errors to put the Eagles within three. That was as close as the Eagles would get, Ohio rattled off five straight points for the match victory. 
 
Inside the Box Score
Benitez finished with a double-double team high 14 kills (.323) and 12 digs. Kleffner and Bossler finished with 12 and 11 kills respectively. Yamaguchi recorded yet another double-double with 42 assists, 14 digs, 6 kills (.600), and 5 blocks. Leading the defense was Lackey with 18 digs. 

Lizzie Stephens put away 17 kills for the Bobcats and also picked up 19 digs. Libero, Macy Reihing had a match high 22 digs.  

Looking Ahead 
Next weekend the Eagles head to Georgia Southern University for two matches. They take on the Southern Miss Golden Eagles on Friday, September 13th at 2:00 p.m. in Statesboro. They will play the host team on Saturday, September 14th at 1:00 p.m. to complete the weekend.