Wofford volleyball completes epic comeback to repeat as SoCon Tournament champion
With the championship, Wofford has clinched the SoCon’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, marking a second-straight appearance for the Terriers.
The No. 2 Wofford volleyball team found itself on the brink Sunday evening in the championship match of the Southern Conference Tournament, dropping the first two sets and facing match point twice in the fourth set, but the resilient Terriers fought back to complete the comeback in five sets (22-25, 22-25, 25-16, 26-24, 16-14) over No. 1 Mercer. The Terriers repeat as SoCon champions and improve to 23-8, as Mercer concludes its season at 26-6.Wofford has won its second title in program history. The volleyball Terriers are the first women’s team sport in Wofford history to ever repeat as SoCon champions. Wofford is the first team to repeat as SoCon Tournament champion since Samford won three in a row from 2018 to the 2020-21 season.“They’re unbelievable,” said head coach Lynze Roos of her senior trio of Sarah MacLean, Mary Emily Morgan and Mad Wilson. “They’re a class that came in to have an impact, and that’s exactly what they’ve done. This is a senior group that’s played in the SoCon championship three times in their careers, and winning the back-to-back is absolutely unbelievable. They’re just wonderful, outstanding young women … They’re exactly who you want in your program, and I couldn’t be more proud of them.”Upon the conclusion of the event, the SoCon announced its all-tournament team with three Terriers represented. Laney Klika, Bri Mahoney and MacLean all earned SoCon All-Tournament Team nods, with MacLean earning Most Outstanding Player honors. This is MacLean’s third All-Tournament selection in her career, the most by a Terrier ever. This is Mahoney’s first, and Klika’s is her second after securing it last season. Taylor Pecht was also honored as the recipient of the Knight Commission Pinnacle Award for owning the highest cumulative GPA on the championship team.“I don’t think I could do it without my team,” said MacLean of her MOP honor. “Everybody plays a role in getting me good balls to be able to get a lot of kills. I think that I have great setters, and our passing line is phenomenal. It feels good to win it, but really, everybody plays a role in that.”The Terriers again owned the net with 15 blocks to outpace Mercer’s 10. Aces were tied at two apiece. Mercer recorded more kills (71-61) and assists (67-55), and the Bears held a slight digging edge at 86-82. However, Wofford was more efficient with its attack, posting a 0.189 clip to the 0.173 mark of the Bears.Wofford’s dig total on the evening pushed the season number to 2,206, which is a new program record for team digs in a season. It tops the prior mark of 2,151 from the 2008 campaign. Klika has pushed her season total to 601, now the third most in a season in program history. She is only four away from second place.“It may sound crazy, but I really think we had it in us the whole time,” said Klika of the remarkable comeback. “After we went down 0-2, there was no doubt in my brain that we weren’t going to come back from that. I woke up this morning with this feeling that we were going to be SoCon champs today, and it was right. I’m just so grateful that I have girls around me who are just as confident as I am in each other.”Roughly 24 hours after setting a career high for kills, Mahoney set a new mark with 18 against Mercer. She added 13 digs for her 10th double-double of the season and the 12th of her career. Morgan was the only other Terrier in double figures with 11 kills, adding 19 digs for her 11th double-double of the season and the 19th in her career. Six total Terriers amassed at least six kills, with Annemarie Rakoski (nine), MacLean (eight), Bradley Brown (seven) and Natalie Arnold (six) all contributing to a balanced attack.Pecht and Maddy Frazier fed the offense with 24 and 22 assists, respectively. Frazier added 12 digs for her sixth double-double. Pecht was just shy with nine digs, and she sent in an ace. Klika owned the other Wofford ace, and she posted 18 digs with seven assists. Rakoski held down the net with eight blocks. Brown posted six, four of which were solo, and MacLean contributed three.Set one set a tone for the match as a back-and-forth battle. After trading blows early, Wofford rode a five-point run to a 14-10 advantage in the middle goings. Rakoski opened the run with a kill. Brown would add two kills and a block with MacLean, and Klika sent home an ace. Mercer chipped away and ultimately pulled ahead 16-15. The teams continued to trade punches, with the Bears ahead 23-20. Morgan provided a kill, but the Bears responded. Morgan struck once more to keep Wofford alive, but another Mercer response claimed Set 1 25-22 for the Bears.Mercer opened Set 2 with an 8-4 lead, but Wofford came fighting back. A three-point swing highlighted by a pair of Rakoski denials tied the set at 10-all. After trading points, Mercer held a 14-13 edge. Morgan’s kill tied the set and sparked a four-point Terrier run that saw three straight Mercer errors to follow Morgan’s kill. But Mercer again pushed back and pulled level at 18. An error put Wofford up 21-20, but the Bears had to fight. Back-to-back points pushed them in front, but MacLean’s kill tied the set again at 22. However, Mercer secured the following three points to win the second set 25-22.Needing a response, Wofford claimed the first four points of Set 3 and held an early 6-1 lead. But Mercer chipped away and pulled within a point at 11-10. However, the Terriers caught fire after a kill from Arnold. The sophomore sparked what turned into a nine-point run with Morgan orchestrating at the service line. Mahoney came to life in the run with five kills, and Arnold struck for a block with Brown. The Terriers led 20-10 when the dust settled. Mercer would give a last-ditch comeback push, but the hole proved too much to climb out of. Morgan’s kill iced the frame 25-16 for Wofford.Looking to close out in four, Mercer led 10-6 in the early portions of the fourth set. However, MacLean struck for a kill, kicking off a five-point Terrier run for an 11-10 edge. The run saw three Mercer errors after MacLean’s kill, and Frazier dumped home a surprise attack for the 11th point. The rest of the set was a see-saw battle, with Mercer pulling ahead slightly late at 22-19. Arnold again came up clutch with a kill to precede a block by Mahoney and Rakoski. An error by Mercer leveled the frame at 22. The Bears responded with the next two points and found themselves a point away from a title at 24-22. Mahoney saved the Wofford season with a kill, and she then teamed with Rakoski for a block to tie the frame. A Mercer error brought about set point, and Wofford rode the hot hand as Mahoney put home the kill for the 26-24 set win, forcing a winner-take-all fifth frame.With the championship on the line, Mercer roared early to a 10-5 lead. But the ever-resilient Terriers had one more comeback in them, and it proved to be the most important. A service error provided a needed side-out for Wofford, which in turn put forth a four-point run to pull within one at 10-9. The run was highlighted by Brown and Morgan. A Mercer kill broke the run, but not for long, as another service error befell the Bears. Again, Wofford worked a four-point swing with Morgan posting a block before another Bear error. Brown then added her own denial for a 13-11 lead. Mercer had another push, though, claiming two points to tie the match at 13. Brown brought Wofford within a point with a kill, but the Bears again responded. With 15 points not enough, Mahoney tallied point No. 15 to create a match point once more. On the ensuing rally, Rakoski etched her name into Wofford lore forever, putting home the clinching kill for a 16-14 Set 5 win and the overall match victory, securing the 2024 SoCon championship for the Wofford Terriers.“It’s like a dream,” said Mahoney of winning the title two seasons in a row. “We’ve been working so hard, and seeing all of that work pay off, it’s just so surreal.”With the championship, Wofford has clinched the SoCon’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, marking a second-straight appearance for the Terriers. The selection show is set for Sunday, Dec. 1, during which the full bracket will be announced. Wofford will learn its tournament opponent and destination then.
The No. 2 Wofford volleyball team found itself on the brink Sunday evening in the championship match of the Southern Conference Tournament, dropping the first two sets and facing match point twice in the fourth set, but the resilient Terriers fought back to complete the comeback in five sets (22-25, 22-25, 25-16, 26-24, 16-14) over No. 1 Mercer. The Terriers repeat as SoCon champions and improve to 23-8, as Mercer concludes its season at 26-6.
Wofford has won its second title in program history. The volleyball Terriers are the first women’s team sport in Wofford history to ever repeat as SoCon champions. Wofford is the first team to repeat as SoCon Tournament champion since Samford won three in a row from 2018 to the 2020-21 season.
“They’re unbelievable,” said head coach Lynze Roos of her senior trio of Sarah MacLean, Mary Emily Morgan and Mad Wilson. “They’re a class that came in to have an impact, and that’s exactly what they’ve done. This is a senior group that’s played in the SoCon championship three times in their careers, and winning the back-to-back is absolutely unbelievable. They’re just wonderful, outstanding young women … They’re exactly who you want in your program, and I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
Upon the conclusion of the event, the SoCon announced its all-tournament team with three Terriers represented. Laney Klika, Bri Mahoney and MacLean all earned SoCon All-Tournament Team nods, with MacLean earning Most Outstanding Player honors. This is MacLean’s third All-Tournament selection in her career, the most by a Terrier ever. This is Mahoney’s first, and Klika’s is her second after securing it last season. Taylor Pecht was also honored as the recipient of the Knight Commission Pinnacle Award for owning the highest cumulative GPA on the championship team.
“I don’t think I could do it without my team,” said MacLean of her MOP honor. “Everybody plays a role in getting me good balls to be able to get a lot of kills. I think that I have great setters, and our passing line is phenomenal. It feels good to win it, but really, everybody plays a role in that.”
The Terriers again owned the net with 15 blocks to outpace Mercer’s 10. Aces were tied at two apiece. Mercer recorded more kills (71-61) and assists (67-55), and the Bears held a slight digging edge at 86-82. However, Wofford was more efficient with its attack, posting a 0.189 clip to the 0.173 mark of the Bears.
Wofford’s dig total on the evening pushed the season number to 2,206, which is a new program record for team digs in a season. It tops the prior mark of 2,151 from the 2008 campaign. Klika has pushed her season total to 601, now the third most in a season in program history. She is only four away from second place.
“It may sound crazy, but I really think we had it in us the whole time,” said Klika of the remarkable comeback. “After we went down 0-2, there was no doubt in my brain that we weren’t going to come back from that. I woke up this morning with this feeling that we were going to be SoCon champs today, and it was right. I’m just so grateful that I have girls around me who are just as confident as I am in each other.”
Roughly 24 hours after setting a career high for kills, Mahoney set a new mark with 18 against Mercer. She added 13 digs for her 10th double-double of the season and the 12th of her career. Morgan was the only other Terrier in double figures with 11 kills, adding 19 digs for her 11th double-double of the season and the 19th in her career. Six total Terriers amassed at least six kills, with Annemarie Rakoski (nine), MacLean (eight), Bradley Brown (seven) and Natalie Arnold (six) all contributing to a balanced attack.
Pecht and Maddy Frazier fed the offense with 24 and 22 assists, respectively. Frazier added 12 digs for her sixth double-double. Pecht was just shy with nine digs, and she sent in an ace. Klika owned the other Wofford ace, and she posted 18 digs with seven assists. Rakoski held down the net with eight blocks. Brown posted six, four of which were solo, and MacLean contributed three.
Set one set a tone for the match as a back-and-forth battle. After trading blows early, Wofford rode a five-point run to a 14-10 advantage in the middle goings. Rakoski opened the run with a kill. Brown would add two kills and a block with MacLean, and Klika sent home an ace. Mercer chipped away and ultimately pulled ahead 16-15. The teams continued to trade punches, with the Bears ahead 23-20. Morgan provided a kill, but the Bears responded. Morgan struck once more to keep Wofford alive, but another Mercer response claimed Set 1 25-22 for the Bears.
Mercer opened Set 2 with an 8-4 lead, but Wofford came fighting back. A three-point swing highlighted by a pair of Rakoski denials tied the set at 10-all. After trading points, Mercer held a 14-13 edge. Morgan’s kill tied the set and sparked a four-point Terrier run that saw three straight Mercer errors to follow Morgan’s kill. But Mercer again pushed back and pulled level at 18. An error put Wofford up 21-20, but the Bears had to fight. Back-to-back points pushed them in front, but MacLean’s kill tied the set again at 22. However, Mercer secured the following three points to win the second set 25-22.
Needing a response, Wofford claimed the first four points of Set 3 and held an early 6-1 lead. But Mercer chipped away and pulled within a point at 11-10. However, the Terriers caught fire after a kill from Arnold. The sophomore sparked what turned into a nine-point run with Morgan orchestrating at the service line. Mahoney came to life in the run with five kills, and Arnold struck for a block with Brown. The Terriers led 20-10 when the dust settled. Mercer would give a last-ditch comeback push, but the hole proved too much to climb out of. Morgan’s kill iced the frame 25-16 for Wofford.
Looking to close out in four, Mercer led 10-6 in the early portions of the fourth set. However, MacLean struck for a kill, kicking off a five-point Terrier run for an 11-10 edge. The run saw three Mercer errors after MacLean’s kill, and Frazier dumped home a surprise attack for the 11th point. The rest of the set was a see-saw battle, with Mercer pulling ahead slightly late at 22-19. Arnold again came up clutch with a kill to precede a block by Mahoney and Rakoski. An error by Mercer leveled the frame at 22. The Bears responded with the next two points and found themselves a point away from a title at 24-22. Mahoney saved the Wofford season with a kill, and she then teamed with Rakoski for a block to tie the frame. A Mercer error brought about set point, and Wofford rode the hot hand as Mahoney put home the kill for the 26-24 set win, forcing a winner-take-all fifth frame.
With the championship on the line, Mercer roared early to a 10-5 lead. But the ever-resilient Terriers had one more comeback in them, and it proved to be the most important. A service error provided a needed side-out for Wofford, which in turn put forth a four-point run to pull within one at 10-9. The run was highlighted by Brown and Morgan. A Mercer kill broke the run, but not for long, as another service error befell the Bears. Again, Wofford worked a four-point swing with Morgan posting a block before another Bear error. Brown then added her own denial for a 13-11 lead. Mercer had another push, though, claiming two points to tie the match at 13. Brown brought Wofford within a point with a kill, but the Bears again responded. With 15 points not enough, Mahoney tallied point No. 15 to create a match point once more. On the ensuing rally, Rakoski etched her name into Wofford lore forever, putting home the clinching kill for a 16-14 Set 5 win and the overall match victory, securing the 2024 SoCon championship for the Wofford Terriers.
“It’s like a dream,” said Mahoney of winning the title two seasons in a row. “We’ve been working so hard, and seeing all of that work pay off, it’s just so surreal.”
With the championship, Wofford has clinched the SoCon’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, marking a second-straight appearance for the Terriers. The selection show is set for Sunday, Dec. 1, during which the full bracket will be announced. Wofford will learn its tournament opponent and destination then.
