Wofford 3, Winston-Salem State 0

The Wofford volleyball team opened its home season with a 3-0 (30-13, 30-23, 30-23) win over the Winston-Salem State Rams Thursday night in Benjamin Johnson Arena in front of 268 attendants to improve to 3-1.

 

“It’s great to win our first match on our home court,” said head coach Corey Helle, who now has 48 career wins. “We came out playing hard and were able to jump out to a quick lead.”

 

In the first game, the Terriers came through on 15 of their 32 attack attempts and committed only one error resulting in a .438 hitting percentage. Sophomore middle blocker Liz Sheets led the squad overall with 10 kills and had a .348 hitting percentage. She also added three digs and helped out on three block assists.

 

Freshman Sarah Palmer had nine total kills while classmate setter Joanna Suddath added six and Shanna Hughes and Lindsey Richardson each had five. Richardson finished with a .444 hitting percentage.

 

“Everyone attacked the ball well tonight,” Helle said. “We were very aggressive and were able to back it up with solid defense.”

 

Freshman and Dorman High School alumnus Courtney Gregory led the team with 12 digs. Palmer and Suddath tied for second with eight apiece.

 

Suddath also tied the team’s lone senior Shana Glenn with three service aces.

 

The team had six total blocks. Hughes led the squad with four, including one solo.

 

“We’re off to a great start already,” Helle said. “This team has a lot of talent and we’ll get even better as everyone gets more experience.”

 

The Terriers will continue their three-game homestand next week when they face off against Radford Sept. 12 and Gardner-Webb Sept. 13 in the Benjamin Johnson Arena. They will then host the Enterprise Rent-A-Car Volleyball Classic Sept. 15-16 in the Benjamin Johnson Arena.