ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The Eagles battled back to force a fifth set but fell to Asheville Wednesday afternoon, 3-2, to close out the spring season.
 
KEY CONTRIBUTORS
Emily Wunder (17 kills, 3 digs)
Morgan Bossler (15 kills, 3 blocks)
Isabel Schaefbauer (43 assists, 15 digs)
Leah Metzger (21 digs)
Madison Gorniak (10 digs, 2 service aces)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
In Set 1, the Bulldogs scored early and often, taking a 11-3 lead over the Eagles. A 4-0 run gave the Bulldogs a dominant edge, 17-6. The Eagles responded with a 6-0 run of their own to cut into Asheville's lead, 19-13. Three straight points to close out the set gave the Bulldogs the 25-16 win.
 
The Bulldogs took an 11-3 lead early in the second set. Back-to-back kills from Morgan Bossler kick started a 5-0 run that tied things up at 18 apiece. Winthrop took the 21-20 lead off a bad set and an attack error. Three straight points would put the Eagles within reach of match point, 24-21, which would eventually come off a service error to win the set and tie up the match, 25-22.
 
The Eagles led 6-3 early on in the third set of the match. A 4-0 run for the home team, capped off by three consecutive errors for the Eagles, tied the match up at nine. The match was back-and-forth but the Bulldogs began to pull away with another 4-0, 19-16. The Eagles wouldn't let up, coming within one point of tying things up off back-to-back service aces for Madison Gorniak, 22-21. The Bulldogs would take Set 3, 25-23, off a kill from Molly Hackett.
 
After going down 4-1 early in the set, the Eagles strung together a 6-1 run to lead 11-9. The teams battled back-and-forth with Asheville tying things up at 18 behind a 3-0 run. Back-to-back kills, followed by three consecutive attack errors put the Eagles ahead, 23-19. Four straight points for the Bulldogs tied things up at 23 but an Emily Wunder kill and an attack error forced a Set 5.
 
 The Bulldogs came out hot in Set 5, taking a quick 5-0 lead. Three runs of three points or more kept Asheville's lead comfortable, who ultimately won the set, 15-6, and the match, 3-2.
 
This match concludes the 2020-21 spring season. The High Point Panthers clinched the regular season title, earning them the Big South Conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The Eagles finish 9-7, winning four of its last six matches.