The Winthrop women’s volleyball team collected two more wins last week, beating Presbyterian 3-1 on Thursday, March 25 and 3-0 on Friday, March 26.
Winthrop’s double-header against the Blue Hose was the final series to be played in Winthrop Coliseum this season.
The Eagles trailed 18-13 in the first set on Thursday before winning the set on a 12-4 run. However, the Blue Hose prevailed in the second set, winning 25-19.
Winthrop handedly won sets three and four of the first match against Presbyterian, earning their eighth victory of the season.
Outside hitter Nikkia Benitez was one of the team’s top performers, recording 35 attacks, eight kills, and four blocks. Along with Benitez, defensive specialist Leah Metzger recorded 25 digs and setter Jana Owens had 25 assists.
On Friday, Winthrop celebrated its seniors who will be leaving the program. Prior to the match, outside hitters Jessica Young and Emily Wunder were both honored for three years of service to the Winthrop volleyball program.
The Eagles battled back and forth with the Blue Hose during the first set before pulling away with a 25-20 win. Winthrop took a 15-8 lead during the second set and finished strong with its biggest margin of the day, a 25-17 victory.
With all the momentum in their favor, the Eagles scored the first two points of the third set. After Presbyterian took a 5-3 lead, Winthrop battled back to regain the lead and win the set, sweeping the Blue Hose three sets to none.
Benitez once again led the team on Friday, recording 28 attacks, 20 digs and 10 kills. Middle blocker Morgan Bossler also recorded nine kills and five blocks.
Winthrop’s Owens and Metzger also made significant contributions during Friday’s sweep, recording 30 assists and 15 digs, respectively.
With ongoing concerns about COVID-19, the Big South Conference only played conference games for volleyball this year in an attempt to limit travel and help ensure the safety of student-athletes.
Along with only playing conference games, the Big South elected to not have a post-season conference tournament, instead presenting the Big South’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament to the conference regular season champion.
The Eagles had a solid season but did not have the best record in the conference, therefore they will not repeat as the Big South’s representative in the NCAA Tournament.
