Charleston, S.C. – The Eagles fell in four sets to Charleston Southern Sunday afternoon. The Bucs won the first two sets by a score of 25-23 and 25-16 respectively, before Winthrop secured a 25-19 win in set three. Despite a strong effort, the Eagles dropped the fourth set, 27-25. They are now 0-2 to open the season.
Key Contributors
Nikkia Benitez (21 digs, 10 kills, 3 blocks)
Morgan Bossler (10 kills, 5 services aces, 3 blocks)
Emily Wunder (10 kills)
Jana Owens (34 assists)
How It Happened
Set 1:
The Eagles jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead, topped off with a big service ace from Leah Metzger. The Bucs came storming back to tie the contest up at three apiece. CSU took its first lead of the contest with an ace, 6-5. Winthrop took a 12-9 lead but a 10-1 run in response by the Bucs put them ahead, 20-13. The Eagles chipped away at their lead with a 5-0 run in the remaining few minutes but ultimately dropped the set, 25-23.
Set 2:
The Buccaneers stayed hot into the second set, jumping out to a 4-1 lead. A service error cut the Bucs lead to just three, 14-11. A huge kill at the hands of Brookelynn Thomas made it a 14-12 set but an 8-1 run in response for the Bucs put them ahead, 21-13. They would hang on to take set 2, 25-16.
Set 3:
The Eagles led early on, grabbing an 8-4 lead. The Buccaneers fought back, knotting the set at 14 all and would take their first lead of the set off an attack error, 15-14. A 6-1 run for the Eagles secured a 25-19 win and force a fourth set. CSU had eight attack errors and three services errors in the third set alone.
Set 4:
The Eagles had to play from behind in the fourth set with CSU taking an early 3-1 lead. Winthrop would take a 7-5 lead off a kill from Nikkia Benitez. A service ace by Brookelynn Thomas gave Winthrop a 13-11 edge but the fourth set remained really close. It saw five lead changes and 10 ties. A 7-2 run for the Bucs gave them a 21-16 point lead late. Brookelynn Thomas ties the set at 24 all with a kill. Despite the impressive efforts, CSU wins the set 27-25.
Up Next
The Eagles will play their first home matches since the Big South Conference Championship game on Nov. 24, 2019 to host USC Upstate on Feb. 11-12. The matches are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. and 1 p.m. respectively. Winthrop currently holds a 5-1 all-time lead over the Spartans.
