ROCK HILL, S.C. -- After dropping two in a row, the Winthrop University volleyball team answered back in sweeping fashion, downing the Bulldogs in straight sets, 3-0, on Saturday afternoon. 

Rachel McCollum quarterbacked the offense, dishing out 34 assists in the three-set match, as Avery Jolley led the offensive output with twelve kills. 

Top Performers 

• Kills - Avery Jolley (12), Giselle Little (10), Teagan Sychterz (8) 
• Aces - Rachel McCollum (2), Paige Bennett (2) 
• Blocks - Rachel McCollum (1), Teagan Sychterz (1), Laila Glover (1) 
• Assists - Rachel McCollum (34), Paige Bennett (3), Sophia Matthews (3) 
• Digs - Sophia Matthews (15), Addison Torain (12), Rachel McCollum (11) 

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Game Recap 
Set 1 

• Winthrop jumped ahead to a 7-3 mark after a Rolfsen service error and back-to-back McCollum aces. Little and Jolley added early kills from McCollum for separation at 9-3/ 
• The Eagles pushed it to 14-5 on a balanced run with Little finding the 14th point of the first set. 
• Asheville answered with a surge to 15-12, later trimming it to 20-18 and 24-22 behind van der Goot, Cackovic and a Pate ace, plus a pair of late Winthrop attack errors. 
• Winthrop closed 25-22 on an Asheville service error after Bennett had delivered the 21st and 23rd points 

Set 2 

• The Eagles opened the set 4-1 behind a Bennett ace and two Little kills then 6–3 on a Jolley side-out. 
• Asheville tied it at 8-8, but Winthrop rebuilt a cushion with back-to-back blocks, then a Sychterz kill for 12-10. 
• A mid-set push featured Torain, Jolley, Glover, and then finally Bennett's kill and a Rolfsen ball-handling error stretched it to 22-18. 
• Jolley delivered 23-18 and the winner at 25-21 after a brief Asheville late nibble to 24-21 on a Winthrop attack error. 

Set 3 

• Winthrop punched first and never trailed: Glover hit the opener, then Little and Jolley for a 4-1 start. 
• The Eagles rebuilt daylight after Asheville trimmed it to 9-7, then a sequence of Bulldog errors and a Brookbank service error made it 15-9. 
• Asheville answered with side-outs from van der Goot and Cackovic and a Brookbank swing to close in at 18-14 and later 21-18, but Sychterz twice stemmed the tide before a Brookbank attack error gave Winthrop 22-18. 
• Winthrop slammed the door with Little and Jolley, seeing the clincher come on a Thao service error for 25-20. 

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NEXT UP
The Eagles hit the road for a two-game swing in South Carolina, first taking on Charleston Southern on Friday then Presbyterian on Saturday. 

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