Athens, Ga. – Winthrop volleyball opened the 2021 season with a hard fought 3-1 loss to 22^nd-ranked Pepperdine, Friday afternoon on the opening day of the Classic City Clash hosted by Georgia.
 
Pepperdine 3, Winthrop 1 (25-18, 18-25, 25-14, 25-14)
Aug. 27, 2021 | Stegeman Coliseum
 
How it Happened
 
Set 1 | Eagles fell behind 6-2, but pulled back within 9-8. The set was tight at 19-17 after a block by Lily Leistiko. However, the Waves ended the set on a 6-1 run to for a 25-18 win. Alayna Jansky led the Eagles with four kills on six attempts in the set.
 
Set 2 | Eagles jumped out to an early lead of 3-1 and then 5-3. Pepperdine reeled off four straight points for a 7-5 lead and held the lead until the Eagles knotted things up at 14-14. Things were all square at 18-18 when Winthrop scored three straight to force a timeout by Pepperdine. It didn't stop the momentum and the Eagles scored the final seven points of the set for the 25-18 win. The set finished on a service ace by Nikkia Benitez. Eagles hit .300 in the set and had five service aces.
 
Set 3 | Pepperdine built a cushion in the early going at 5-2 and then scored three straight for an 8-2 advantage. After two straight points by the Eagles the Waves raced out to an 18-6 lead and led 19-8 when Winthrop gained some momentum. The Eagles scored three straight points to cut the deficit to 19-12, forcing a Pepperdine timeout. The Waves came out of the timeout with two straight points and then went on to take the set 25-14.
 
Set 4 | The set was tied 3-3 in the early going with the Waves scored seven straight points for a 10-3 lead. Winthrop pulled within five at 13-8 but another run by Pepperdine pushed them to a 21-8 advantage. Winthrop scored three straight before Pepperdine finished the set with a 25-14 win. The Waves finished with a hitting percentage of .556 while the Eagles hit .250.
 
Statistical Standouts

• Morgan Bossler (12 kills, .455 attack percentage, 2 assists, 1 ace, 6 digs, 1 BA, 13.5 points)
• Brookelynn Thomas (9 kills, 1 dig, 1 BA, 9.5 points)
• Leah Metzger (team-high 17 digs)
• Isabel Schaefbauer (24 assists, 3 kills, 5 digs) 

Notes

• This was the Eagles first match against a nationally-ranked opponent since their trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2019 and the first in the regular season since facing Northern Arizona in 2010
• This was the first ever meeting with Pepperdine and first meeting against an opponent from the state of California since facing California in 2014 (L, 3-1)
• The 24 assists by Schaefbauer are the second-most in a match in her career (34 is career-high)
• Bossler recorded at least 12 kills for the third straight match dating back to the 2021 spring season 

Up Next
Winthrop will be back in action on Saturday for two more matches as part of the Classic City Clash. The Eagles will face host Georgia at 10:30 a.m. and then face Morehead State at 5 p.m.
 
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