Richmond, Va. – Winthrop volleyball won their second straight contest by sweeping Lafayette 3-0 on the first day of the VCU Invitational (25-18, 25-17, 25-17) Friday afternoon.
Winthrop (2-1, 0-0 Big South) | Lafayette (3-2, 0-0 Patriot)
Sep. 6, 2024 | Siegel Center
Winthrop 3, Lafayette 0 (25-18, 25-17, 25-17)
How it Happened
Set 1 | A fast start by the Eagles gave them a 1-0 lead in the match. Winthrop jumped out to a 6-0 lead on two kills by
Avery Jolley, two Lafayette error and a kill each by
Rachel McCollum and
Maeve Rehmann. Lafayette quickly cut the lead to one but two straight kills by
Paige Bennett upped the lead to three at 9-6. The Eagles then responded with a 9-4 run to take an eight-point edge at 18-10 after an error against the Leopards. Lafayette cut the margin in half but two more mistakes by the Leopards put the Eagles up 21-15. A few plays later Jolley's kill put the Eagles at set point at 24-17. After a kill by the Leopards,
Jessica Cinci's kill ended the set.
Set 2 | Winthrop was in control for the majority of the second set. The Eagles scored the first four points of the second set on kills by McCollum, Jolley, an error by the Leopards and an ace by
Jenna Calloway. The Leopards scored the next two points but three kills each by Jolley and Bennett, a kill by Rehmann and two errors by Lafayette made the score 13-5. The Leopards then scored the next three points but a kill and an ace by Bennett, two straight kills by Vick and another Leopard error took the margin up to 10 at 18-8, the first time in the match that Winthrop seized a double-digit lead. Lafayette scored seven of the next 10 points to trail 22-15 but consecutive kills by Bennett put the Eagles at set point. After two straight points by Lafayette, Bennett's kill doubled Winthrop's lead in the match.
Set 3 | The third set was a back-and-forth affair until late in the frame. Winthrop went up 5-1 early in the third on three kills by Rehmann and a kill each by Bennett and
Isabella Murray. Lafayette rallied to take an 8-7 lead but an error on the next play tied it. McCollum's kill put Winthrop back in the lead only for the Leopards to knot it up again. An error by the Leopards gave the Eagles a 10-9 lead and Jolley's kill on the next play put Winthrop ahead by two. Lafayette then tied it at 11 only for two kills each by Jolley and Bennett and an error by the Leopards to break the tie and go up by four. This gave the Eagles the lead for good in the set. Winthrop would eventually seize their largest lead of the set at 20-14 after a Leopard error. An ace by Calloway put the Eagles within a point of winning the match and on the next play Jolley's kill ended the contest.
Top Performers
Notables
- The Eagles have played 1,805 matches all-time as the program holds a mark of 1,075-730.
- Murray is ninth in school history in assists with 2,054.
- Murray had a double double with 41 assists and 15 digs.
- Vick and Rehmann hit .500 and .533 in the match, respectively.
- Stevie Henderson and Edie Powell both made their Eagle debut.
UP NEXT
Winthrop faces host VCU tomorrow afternoon at 4:00 p.m. on ESPN+.
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