The Winthrop volleyball team earned two more wins over the weekend, maintaining a perfect record against Big South Conference opponents so far this season.
The Eagles faced Presbyterian College on Friday in a match that would end up going the full five sets.
While Winthrop obtained an early lead in the first set, Presbyterian clawed back. Winthrop’s Lily Leistiko re-tied the set at 18-18, but Presbyterian responded with a 3-point run and proceeded to win the set 25-21.
The Eagles appeared to be more in control in set two. With Winthrop leading 10-6, freshman Karli Shepherd (who was recently named a Big South freshman of the week) sparked a 7-0 run with a kill.
This was one of four kills Shepherd recorded in the second set, which Winthrop went on to win in dominant fashion, 25-12.
Presbyterian answered with a dominant stretch of its own, opening the third set on an 8-0 run. Despite the early hole Winthrop found itself in, the team fought back all the way to tie the game at 23-23 after a 6-0 run in favor of the Eagles.
The 6-0 run began with a kill by redshirt junior Colleen Siebold, who entered the game for the first time off of the bench early in the third set. Siebold recorded four kills during the third set.
Winthrop held on, tying the game again at 24-24 and 25-25. The Eagles took a 26-25 lead, lost the lead, then regained possession of the lead with a kill by fifth-year player Nikkia Benitez.
After losing the lead to Presbyterian again, Benitez earned another kill to tie the game at 28-28. However, Presbyterian won the next two points to take the third set, 30-28.
Winthrop’s blockers and hitters made light work of Presbyterian in the fourth set, recording 16 kills while pushing the Eagles to a 25-16 set victory and forcing a fifth set.
Of the 16 fourth-set kills, five went to sophomore Olivia Blackketter (who subbed in late in the third set), four went to fifth-year player Morgan Bossler, two went to senior Jana Owens, two went to Siebold, two went to Shepherd and one went to Benitez.
Winthrop left no questions about who the better team was in the fifth set (which only needed 15 points for a win instead of 25). The Eagles opened on a 5-0 run with two more kills by Shepherd.
The final point of the match was won by Siebold (who had her best performance of the season with eight kills) as Winthrop earned a 15-9 victory in the set and a 3-2 match win.
During Winthrop’s win over Presbyterian, Bossler recorded a career-high 21 kills, and Owens recorded a career-high 60 assists.
The Eagles returned to Winthrop Coliseum on Saturday to host Charleston Southern University. Winthrop had won 35 of its 41 matches all-time against Charleston Southern but most recently lost both matches to the Buccaneers last season.
With Charleston Southern leading 3-2 in the first set, Bossler recorded a kill to trigger a 7-1 run for the Eagles. Winthrop held the lead and finished off the first set with a kill by Blackketter, winning 25-21.
Several errors by the Eagles gave Charleston Southern a 6-2 lead to start the second set. Down 12-8, Winthrop took the lead with a 5-0 run that was capped off by two kills by Shepherd.
The Eagles held on to the lead and won the second set 25-21, carrying momentum into the third set.
Up 9-8, Winthrop won 14 of the next 17 points to boast a 23-11 advantage. Winning the set 25-16, the Eagles completed the sweep and extended their win streak to five games.
Coming off a three-game homestand, Winthrop will travel for its next three matches. Chuck Rey’s squad will play at USC Upstate (2-2) on Friday, at UNC Asheville (1-3) on Saturday and at Campbell (4-0) on Tuesday before returning home to host Hampton on Oct. 16.
Winthrop currently sits atop the Big South standings along with Campbell and High Point as the only teams with a 4-0 record in conference play.
