GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Citadel volleyball team closed out the 2014 season with a tough four-set loss to Wofford (22-25, 25-22, 25-18, 25-18) in Saturday morning action at the Southern Conference Tournament.
Despite the loss the Bulldogs (8-26) got solid performances from
Bailey Kernodle (16 kills),
Megan Sowell (12 kills) and
Moriah Smith, who closed out her freshman season with a 17-dig, 10-kill outing.
Rachel Keefer (22 assists, 18 digs) and
Samantha Espy (12 digs, 10 assists) also notched double-doubles for The Citadel.
The match also closed out the careers of seniors
Ise d'Angelo,
Lauren Hurt,
Mallory Moore and
Amanda Rudnik. D'Angelo ends her career ranked 10th in program history in career kills (676). Hurts four-year run with The Citadel leaves her ranked atop the school's all-time assisted blocks (237) and total blocks (339) and second in solo blocks (102).
Moore leaves the Bulldogs with 185 career kills in 161 sets to go along with 51 assisted blocks and 55 total blocks. Rudnik, who appeared in 397 sets over her career, posted the eighth-most digs (854) of any player in school history.
As for Wofford, who advances to play regular season champion Furman in the second round, the Terriers were led by the play of Bella Santoro (23 kills, .333 hitting percentage), Taylor Baird (12 kills) and Jessica Graham (24 digs).
Wofford (13-21) took advantage of 59 team kills to post a .240 hitting percentage in the match. The key for the Terriers was their defense which posted 24 assisted blocks including give each from Baird and Danni Densford.
The two teams traded points for much of the first set until Wofford pulled ahead by a slim 10-8 margin. The Bulldogs put together one their best stretches of the season as they rattled off 10 straight points for an 18-10 advantage. A late rally by the Terriers trimmed the deficit to three, 23-20, but The Citadel held onto capture its first set in SoCon Tournament history by a three-point margin.
Set two was another back-and-forth affair as neither team held more than a three-point lead for the entire set. Wofford was in front for much of the early going but could never pull away from the Bulldogs. The Citadel was able to tie the set at 19-19 following a Wofford timeout. The two teams would split the next six points, drawing to a 22-22 tie. Wofford claimed the final three points to take the set, 25-22, and tie the match at one set apiece.
The Terriers pulled out to an early 8-5 lead in set three before eventually stretching the margin to 16-9 and forcing a second Citadel timeout. Wofford would go on to take the set by a 10-point advantage and assume the 2-1 advantage for the match.
The Citadel got out to a hot start in fourth set, assuming an early 7-2 lead. Wofford slowly chipped away at the lead until the teams were tied at 14-all. The Terriers eventually pulled in front, 17-15, and despite a second Bulldog timeout to impede Wofford's offense the Dogs managed just three points for the remainder of the set.
