After losing four of its last six games, the Winthrop volleyball team was hungry for a win — and it got that win twice this weekend.
The team beat both UNC Asheville on Friday and USC Upstate on Saturday. Both games were won 3-0.
“The wins this weekend were really encouraging for the team,” Bossler said. “We’ve had a difficult last couple of weeks, so for us to start the second half of conference in such a dominant fashion is a huge confidence boost for us as we wrap up the regular season.”
Winthrop dominated the court with an advantage held in every set on Friday. The Eagles beat UNC Asheville 25-19 in the first set, 25-14 in the second and 25-12 in the third. For kills, Morgan Bossler led with 16 and was followed by Nikkia Benitez, who had 14.
Benitez also had the most aces with two. Jana Owens had the most assists with 42 and the most digs with 18 total during the game.
Owens was followed by Alayna Jansky, who had 13 digs. Jansky also had the second most assists with two.
Winthrop looked to continue their winning streak from Friday into Saturday when the Eagles hosted USC Upstate. They beat USC Upstate winning three sets to zero.
Once again, the Eagles had domination over the volleyball court, continuing their advantage in every set. They won the first set 25-19, the second 25-18 and the third 25-8.
Benitez led with kills, having 12 during the game. She was followed closely by Karli Shepherd, who had 11 kills.
Shepherd also led the count for aces during the game, totaling three, and she was followed by Madison Gorniak, who had two. Owens once again had the most assists and digs with 32 assists and 13 digs throughout the game. She was followed by Jansky in both. Jansky had four assists and 12 digs total.
Winthrop recorded 61 points during three sets. The team led in all other categories having 45 kills, seven aces, nine blocks, 39 assists and 62 digs.
The team was encouraged by the two wins.
“I’m super proud of my team for our performance this weekend,” Shepherd said. “We all knew these two games were super important and we played our roles very well.”
Shepherd, who earned Big South Freshman of the Week honors on Monday, said each person playing their role was key.
“I also think that every person on our team played an important role in our success this weekend,” Shepherd said. “Whether someone was on or off the court, they were always fulfilling their role as a great teammate.”
The team also celebrated senior weekend.
“It was our senior weekend, so it was great to get back-to-back home wins,” said sophomore biology major Isabel Schaefbauer.
This year’s seniors are Nikkia Benitez, Morgan Bossler, Colleen Siebold, Lily Leistiko, Camila Gomez, and Jana Owens.
Winthrop’s next match is Friday at Charleston Southern University, and the team’s next home game is Nov. 10 at 6 p.m. against Gardner-Webb University.
