ROCK HILL, S.C. – Brookelynn Thomas had 16 kills,
Nikkia Benitez recorded 22 digs, and
Madison Gorniak had 26 digs and seven assists in Winthrop's 3-0 victory against Charlotte on Sunday afternoon in non-conference volleyball action.
Winthrop (5-5) | Charlotte (7-5)
Sept. 19, 2021 | Winthrop Coliseum
Winthrop 3, Charlotte 0 (25-23, 25-23, 25-20)
How it Happened
Set 1 | Charlotte started the match off strong by winning the first three points, but Winthrop responded as the 49ers committed four straight attack errors. The teams went back and forth as the match was tied at seven before Charlotte ran off three straight points to take a 10-7 lead. The teams continued to keep things close and the set was tied at 14, 21, and 22, before the Eagles won three of the last four points in the set, punctuated by a
Karli Shepherd kill, to take the opening stanza.
Set 2 | The 49ers took an early lead in the second set, but Winthrop battled back once again with three straight points for a 4-2 lead. Charlotte then won five of the next six points for a 7-5 lead, and the teams kept it close for the next few points. With the score tied at eight, the Eagles won five of six points for a 13-9 lead and extended it to 17-11 a short time later. The 49ers closed within one point on multiple occasions, but the Eagles took the set by a 25-23 score.
Set 3 | Much like the rest of the match, the scoring was back and forth early in the set as the teams split the first 12 points. Five consecutive points from Winthrop, punctuated by two
Brookelynn Thomas kills, extended the lead out, but the 49ers came back to tie the match at 12, 13, 16, and 18. However, the Eagles took seven of the last nine points to close out the afternoon.
Statistical Standouts
Notes
- Madison Gorniak notched a career-high with 26 digs; Benitez had a career-high with 22 digs; Brookelynn Thomas recorded a career-high 16 kills
- Owens has recorded a double-double in four straight contests
- Leah Metzger has double-digit digs in all but one match in 2021
Up Next
Winthrop travels to Boiling Springs, N.C. for their opening Big South Conference contest against Gardner-Webb on Friday, September 24 at 6 p.m. before returning home to face Radford on Saturday, September 25 at 2 p.m.
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