Box Score Rock Hill, S.C. – Alayna Jansky led Winthrop with 16 kills while
Brookelynn Thomas had 11 kills as Winthrop rallied for a 3-2 victory over Harvard, Friday afternoon.
Winthrop (3-7) | Harvard (1-5)
Sept. 16, 2022 | Cameron Indoor Stadium
Winthrop 3, Harvard 2 (23-25, 25-17, 20-25, 25-19, 15-9)
How it Happened
Set 1 | Eagles got off to a 2-0 lead and then led 3-1 after an
Avery Jolley kill. Harvard worked its way to a 4-4 tie and eventually took its first lead at 7-6 after an Olivia Cooper service ace. The Crimson pushed the lead to 8-6 after an attacking error by
Alicia Roberts. Harvard used a 3-0 run and 5-0 run to take its lead to 13-7. Winthrop responded with a 4-0 run highlighted by kills from Jolley and
Alayna Jansky to cut the deficit to two at 13-11. Harvard pushed its lead back to three at 15-12, but the Eagles cut the lead down to one at 15-14. Harvard went on a 3-0 run from there to open up an 18-14 lead.
Brookelynn Thomas ended the run with a kill but Harvard scored the next two for a 20-15 advantage. The Eagles tried to claw their way back by scoring the next three points to pull within 20-18, forcing a timeout by Harvard. Out of the timeout the Crimson scored on a kill by Ava Rauser but the Eagles continued to battle back. A Roberts kill followed by another by Jansky made it a one point set at 21-20. Harvard went on a 3-0 run to make it 24-20 and the Eagles came back with three of their own but Harvard held on to win 25-23. Jansky led the Eagles with four kills and five digs while
Isabella Murray had 13 assists.
Set 2 | Eagles opened up a 3-1 lead in the early going for the second straight set. The momentum the Eagles gained at the end of the first set carried over to the second. The 3-1 lead grew into a 6-2 lead thanks to two kills from Jansky and another by Thomas. Harvard responded with back-to-back points only to have the Eagles go on a 6-0 run for a 12-4 advantage. It started with back-to-back kills by Thomas and
Karli Shepherd. The back-to-back service aces by Thomas followed by a kill from Murray and one more service ace from Thomas. After a point for the Crimson, the Eagles went on another big run of 5-0 to open up a double-digit lead at 17-5. Shepherd started it with a kill followed by a block assist from Jolley and Roberts. Then back-to-back service aces by
Isabella Murray put the Eagles up 11 and a Robert kill made it 17-5. The Crimson tried to get back in the set with a 4-0 run but the Eagles pushed their lead to 21-11. Harvard made a late 3-0 run but the Eagles took the second set 25-17. Eagles had six aces, three by Thomas while Jansky led with four kills.
Set 3 | Once again the Eagles opened the scoring as Jansky started it off with a kill. Harvard built a 4-2 advantage and then led 5-4 after a kill from Murray. The Crimson proceeded to score on three straight kills to open up a four point advantage. Harvard pushed its lead to 15-8 with a 4-0 run but the Eagles came right back with a 3-0 run to pull within 15-11. Harvard pushed its lead to 21-14 but the Eagles reeled off three straight to pull within four points. After a Harvard point the Eagles scored two more to make the deficit three at 22-19. The Crimson held off the Eagles to take the set 25-20. Jansky led with six kills and
Leah Metzger had seven digs.
Set 4 | Winthrop raced out to a 3-0 lead that started with a service ace by Metzger. The lead grew to 5-1 after a
Riley Oglevie kill and an attack error by Brynne Faltinsky of Harvard. After the Crimson scored 3-of-4 points to make it a 6-4 Winthrop lead, the Eagles responded. Consecutive kills by Jolley and Roberts followed by a service ace by Thomas put the Eagles up 9-4, forcing a timeout by Harvard. Out of the timeout Thomas served another ace followed by an attacking error to push the lead to 11-4. Harvard tried to chip away at the lead but the Eagles continued to execute and led 19-12. A 5-0 run pulled the Crimson within two points at 19-17, Winthrop responded with a block assist from Thomas and Murray and another ace by Thomas for a 21-17 lead. Harvard got one back but the Eagles scored three straight for set point. A solo block by Oglevie got it to set point. Eagles had five aces, three more by Thomas.
Set 5 | For the first time all match the Crimson scored first thanks to an attacking error by Jansky. Winthrop got on the board after a block assist by Oglevie and Thomas and a Harvard attack error. After Harvard tied the set at 2-2 the Eagles reeled off six straight to open up an 8-2 lead. Jansky started things off followed by kills from Thomas and Jolley for a 6-2 lead as Harvard called timeout. The Eagles scored two more for an 8-2 advantage. Winthrop was the first to 10 as the lead was 10-3 after a solo block by Roberts. Following a Katie Vorhies kill to pull the Crimson within 10-4, the Crimson had back-to-back attacking errors and called timeout as the Eagles led 11-5. Out of the timeout the Eagles went ahead 12-5 after a block by Oglevie and Roberts. Three straight points by the Crimson forced Winthrop to call timeout leading 12-8 and out of the timeout the Eagles took a 13-8 lead on a service error. Eagles clinched the match on an Oglevie kill. Thomas led with three kills and Metzger had six digs.
Statistical Leaders
- Alayna Jansky (16 kills, 2 assists, 2 aces, 13 digs, block assist)
- Brookelynn Thomas (11 kills, career-high 6 aces, 7 digs, 4 block assists)
- Avery Jolley (9 kills, 3 block assists)
- Isabella Murray (45 assists, 4 kills, 2 aces, 13 digs, block assist)
- Leah Metzger (24 digs, 2 assists, 2 aces)
Notables
- Eagles improved to 1-1 in five set matches this year
- Thomas finished with four block assists, moving her within three of 100 in her career
- Metzger surpassed 850 career digs (857)
- The 24 digs were a season-high for Metzger and one shy of her career-best of 25 (achieved twice)
- Metzger now has eight career matches with 20 or more digs
UP NEXT
Eagles remain on the road as they'll travel to Asheville, N.C. for their Big South Conference opener against UNC Asheville on Thursday, Sept. 22 at 6 p.m.
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