ROCK HILL, S.C. – The Eagles earned their first win of the season with a three-set sweep over the USC Upstate Spartans on Thursday evening. The final of each set was 25-14, 25-11 and 25-23.
 
Key Contributors
Morgan Bossler (9 kills, 3.0 blocks, 19 attacks)
Nikkia Benitez (9 kills, 21 attacks)
Brookelynn Thomas (9 kills, 2 aces)
Jana Owens (33 assists, 7 digs)
Camila Gomez (23 attacks)
Leah Metzger (16 digs)

How It Happened
This match was the tale of runs for the Eagles. In the first set, the Eagles jumped out to a quick 12-4 lead over the Spartans, which included an 8-0 run. Winthrop continued to pull away, topped off by a big kill from Alicia Davis, who made her first collegiate start. The Eagles won Set 1, 25-14.

In Set 2, the Eagles took another early lead over the Spartans in Set 2, 10-5. The home team went off on a 7-1 run to take a convincing 21-10 lead. They would secure the 25-11 set win on an attack error by Breena Gamueda.

The third set was a much closer battle. Early on the contest was knotted at four apiece. A 4-0 run gave the Spartans an 8-4, but the Eagles responded with a 4-0 run of their own to tie the match back up. Winthrop took a 21-14 lead off a kill by Morgan Bossler. The Spartans fought back, making it a 24-22 match. A kill by freshman Brookelynn Thomas secured the three-set sweep, 25-23.
 
Up Next
The Eagles will look to earn back-to-back wins with a victory over USC Upstate on Friday afternoon. The match is set to begin at 1 p.m.