The Winthrop volleyball team played in two thrilling head–to–head matches against East Tennessee State University over the weekend, winning the first game and losing the second.
Friday’s match started off with the Eagles scoring the first three points, then ETSU later tying it at 7-7. After another tie of 12-12, Winthrop eventually won the first set 25-20.
In the second set, ETSU took the lead for quite some time, with Winthrop trailing as much as 9-1. However, because of an error made by the Buccaneers, the Eagles made eight points and led 23-21. The Eagles once again won the set, this time 25-22.
Brookelynn Thomas and Karli Shepherd helped win the third set for Winthrop with continuous back–to–back kills. The game ended with four kills from Morgan Bossler and a 25-18 win for the Eagles.
Bossler’s kills Friday helped her surpass 500 in her Winthrop career.
“I wish we could keep her in for all rotations because of who she is,” head coach Chuck Rey said about Bossler. “[She’s] someone who wants to dominate, and she does.”
This was the team’s fourth straight win, including their off–campus wins in Virginia.
On Saturday, the first set began with ETSU dominating the court. Both Bossler and Shepherd made kills in this set, but it was not enough to secure a win, with the Buccaneers winning the set 25-18.
At the beginning of the second set, Lily Leistiko led with a kill. The game was back-and-forth, with the teams tying at 14-14, then ETSU led with four straight points. The set ended with the Buccaneers once again winning, 25-17.
During the last set, the Eagles were leading late until a tie of 23-23. The Buccaneers ended with three straight kills and won the game.
Rey called the result an “uninspired performance” and said that in the COVID-19 era, it is a lot more difficult to play at the same strength. He also mentioned that on the second day — keeping in mind it’s not regular for sports to play again in less than 24 hours — it is a bit harder to win with more wear and tear of the body.
Rey also said that he would rather their movements all around be smoother and that the team could do a better job of reading the game. He noted that Leah Metzger has a great read of the game and that her tenacity is unstoppable.
Some of the most notable moments of Friday’s game were when Metzger continued to make amazing saves in all three sets.
“We may be a little bit out of position, and she adjusts really well to those things,” Rey said.
With the excitement of the game coming up against the South Carolina Gamecocks on Thursday, Rey said the Eagles will definitely have fun working against a bigger team. Winthrop looks to get back in the win column Thursday at 7 p.m. at Winthrop Coliseum.
