Terriers riding high with undefeated week
The energy in Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium was palpable Wednesday night as the volleyball team kicked off the first of four home matches this week with a resounding win over Presbyterian College. After struggling in both the Clemson and Duke Invitational Tournaments, the Terriers collected their first win on Sept. 7 to the tune of a sweep over North Carolina Central. The subsequent 3-0 victory over the Blue Hose was a display of the sort of success the Terriers hope to maintain the rest of the season. Outside hitter Catie Cronister, ‘20, led the team in kills, along with middle blocker Riley Coonan, ‘21, with both team captains logging 11 kills each. The Terriers outmatched the Blue Hose in kills, posting a 44-34 advantage. Cronister also tallied 12 digs. Her double-double made her the sixth Terrier to enter the 1,000 club of both digs and kills.
The school-famous student mega-fans dubbed “the Boneyard” were out in full force leading an enthusiastic student section. This compensated for playing in the larger main gym, as opposed to the traditional auxiliary gym. Coonan remarked on this after the game: “It was an amazing atmosphere; we had a huge crowd come out. It’s hard playing in a gym like this. It’s so big you feel like you don’t have a lot of fans, but we looked up and everyone being there and having that energy, I think it really carried us through the game tonight and helped us get that win.”
Newcomer Kennedy Smith, ‘23, has already made a positive impact for the Terriers, meriting praise from coach Lynze Roos after the PC game: “She works really hard. She came in with a great skill set, great ball control and I think she just goes out there with great confidence, so she’s doing a great job for us.” Smith averaged [average kills per game for the 4 games] for Wofford this week, and [kpg] this season.
The Terriers followed up the win with a strong showing in the annual Wofford Invitational, starting with a 3-1 victory over the outmatched North Carolina A&T Aggies. Their size and strength advantage was apparent from the start, with the Terriers winning the first and last sets by a sizable margin. Cronister logged 13 kills. The second game of the Friday double-header saw the Terriers rack up another victory over Alabama A&M by another margin of 3-1. Outside hitter Meghan Yaffa, ‘22, led the team with 15 kills, Smith followed right behind with 14, and Cronister with 11. Setter Lorissa King, ‘20, had 50 assists against the Bulldogs.
The tournament wrapped up nicely with yet another 3-1 win, this time over Gardner-Webb. Coonan and Cronister again led the Terriers with 14 kills each. Right side hitter Kelly Bossert, ‘20, contributed 12. All three games were bolstered by an ardent student section. The [top 2-3 players] lead the T-Dogs in kills this season [respective kpg averages]. In addition, [top 2-3 players] lead in digs at [dpg season averages]. The Terriers as a whole average [kpg and dpg]. Currently sitting at a 5-6 record, Wofford will travel to the Davidson tournament the weekend of Sept. 20, beginning with a match against High Point. The team will return home to open SoCon play Sept. 27 against Samford.