Spartanburg, S.C. – Winthrop volleyball defeated USC-Upstate by a final score of 3-0 (25-22, 25-16, 25-19) Friday night at the G.B. Hodge Center.
Winthrop (14-10, 10-3 Big South) | USC Upstate (6-20, 3-10 Big South)
Nov. 4, 2022 | G.B. Hodge Center
Winthrop 3, USC Upstate 0 (25-22, 25-16, 25-19)
How it Happened
Set 1 | After starting the match down 6-3, Winthrop went on an 8-2 run to seize an 11-8 lead with two kills by
Sydney Nolan and two Upstate errors contributing to the rally, forcing the Spartans to call a timeout. The Eagles kept it going, scoring four of the next six points to take a 15-12 lead with
Alayna Jansky providing two kills. But a 9-2 run by the Spartans put the Eagles in a 21-17 hole. A kill each by
Karli Shepherd and
Isabella Murray were the only Eagle points during the run. Undaunted, three straight kills by
Avery Jolley cut it to one at 21-20. The Spartans added another point to make it 22-20 but Winthrop finished the first set on a 5-0 run thanks to Jansky providing two of those five points. An error against the Spartans ended the set at 25-22 in favor of Winthrop.
Set 2 | Winthrop jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the second set on two Upstate errors and an ace by
Madison Gorniak before Upstate scored four straight points to take a 6-5 lead. The Eagles then went on a 9-2 run via two
Rylie McMahen service aces and two Nolan kills, giving Winthrop a 14-8 lead. Three straight Spartan points cut to three but an 11-5 run by the Eagles closed out the second set, 25-16. During the clinching run, Jansky and
Alicia Roberts each registered two kills and the Spartans committed six errors.
Set 3 | Trailing 3-0 early in what would prove to be the final set, two Jolley kills and a Spartan error tied it up at three. Both teams then alternated several points before Winthrop went on a 9-5 run to take a 16-13 lead off four Spartan errors and kills by Jansky, Nolan, Roberts, Murray and Shepherd. The Spartans then scored four straight points to take a 17-16 lead. At this point the Eagles had trailed late in all three sets but had rallied in the previous two. As it turned out, they had one last rally in them. Winthrop proceeded to finish the match on a 9-2 run. Jansky and Shepherd each recorded a kill to start the rally, giving them an 18-17 lead. Upstate tied it for the last time on the next play but Winthrop then scored four straight on a kill by Jolley, an error, a Shepherd ace and a kill by Jolley gave the Eagles a 22-18 lead. Upstate got one more point but three straight Jolley kills ended the match at 25-19.
Statistical Leaders
Alayna Jansky (12 kills, 9 digs)
Alicia Roberts (7 kills, 4 blocks)
Rylie McMahen (2 aces)
Isabella Murray (37 assists, 3 blocks)
Madison Gorniak (13 digs, 1 ace, 2 assists)
Notables
- Winthrop has won seven of the last eight matches
- The Eagles have played 1,771 matches all-time as the program holds a mark of 1,056-714
- McMahen set a season highs in aces
- Winthrop takes a 10-2 advantage in the all-time series with Upstate with the victory
UP NEXT
The Eagles are back in action tomorrow at 2 p.m. as they travel to Gardner Webb.
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