No. 3 Wofford wins 2025 Ingles SoCon Volleyball Championship

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – For the second consecutive season, the Wofford Terriers (17-13), the No. 3 seed, won the Ingles SoCon Volleyball Championship in five sets (25-23, 23-25, 17-25, 25-19, 17-15) over the top seed ETSU, earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship on Sunday afternoon inside Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville.

Sunday’s win made the Terriers the third program to win at least three consecutive SoCon tournament titles in volleyball. The other occurrences were Chattanooga from 1996-98, College of Charleston from 2004-07, and Samford from 2018-2021.

The squads split the first 18 points of the contest. Wofford went on the first run of the match, going ahead 15-11 at the media timeout. ETSU slowly got back into the frame, forcing a Wofford timeout after its lead was trimmed to 21-20.

ETSU tied the set at 22-22 with a kill by Chloe Smith. On the next point, Wofford got a kill from its own Chloe Smith, prompting a timeout from the Bucs. After the break, ETSU tied the score at 23-23, but the Terriers got two straight points via an attack error and a kill by Emily Normand, ending the frame at 25-23.

Wofford held the lead at the media timeout once again in the second set, holding a 15-13 advantage at the break. The Terriers quickly doubled that lead, moving ahead 18-14 on a kill by Lauren Marschke and forcing a timeout by the Bucs. ETSU scored five of the next six points, punctuated by a kill from second-team all-conference selection Brianna Cantrell, which tied the score at 19-19 and led to a Wofford timeout.

After alternating the next four points, ETSU went ahead 22-21 on a another kill by Cantrell. The Buccaneers got to set point after an attack error made the score 24-22. The Terriers got back to within one point before SoCon Player of the Year Makayla Bays got a kill, ending the set 25-23 in favor of ETSU.

The Bucs continued their strong play into the third frame, building a 12-8 lead early in the set. ETSU took a timeout following a block by Wofford’s Bradley Brown and Natalie Arnold closed the gap to 13-11. The Bucs ran off six straight points after that with Melanie Morris on the service line, assuming control of the set.

Wofford was able to side-out on the next point but would not get closer than six for the remainder of the frame. A kill from all-freshman team performer Sophia Davis ended the set, 25-17, giving ETSU a 2-1 lead in the match.

In the fourth set, the two teams split the opening 28 points. Whitley Rammel gave the Bucs a 15-14 lead going into the media timeout. The score would continue to change hands until a 4-0 run by the Terriers with Taylor Pecht on the service line put them ahead 22-19, prompting a timeout by ETSU.

The Terriers would continue their run after the break. Wofford got the final three points, finished by a kill from Arnold to set the stage for the deciding set.

ETSU got out to an early 5-2 lead, bringing on a timeout by Wofford. Following the break, the Terriers went on a 6-0 run before the Bucs forced a side-out. Wofford would build its lead to 11-8 following a kill by Annemarie Rakoski, but three straight points from ETSU after that put both teams four points from victory.

Rammel got back-to-back aces out of the break. Wofford responded with the next three points to get to match point. Kills came from Davis and Bays on the next two points, getting ETSU to match point. The Terriers would get the next three points on a kill and two blocks, ending the frame 17-15 and giving Wofford the championship.

The match featured 41 ties and 18 lead changes.

Wofford’s Chloe Smith, the 2025 SoCon Tournament Most Outstanding Player, finished with 21 kills and 10 digs. Brown and Rakoski, both of whom made the all-tournament team, had 18 and eight kills, respectively. Morris finished with a team-high 28 digs for ETSU. Rammel had 13 kills, four blocks and three aces.

Wofford will learn its NCAA tournament opponent during the selection show on Sunday, Nov. 30. The show is set for 6 p.m. ET on ESPN.

2025 Southern Conference Volleyball Championship
Asheville, North Carolina (Harrah’s Cherokee Center - Asheville)

Thursday, Nov. 20
First Round
Match 1: No. 8 Western Carolina 3, No. 9 The Citadel 0

Friday, Nov. 21
Quarterfinals
Match 2: No. 5 UNCG 3, No. 4 Chattanooga 1
Match 3: No. 1 ETSU 3, No. 8 Western Carolina 0
Match 4: No. 2 Furman 3, No. 7 Mercer 1
Match 5: No. 3 Wofford 3, No. 6 Samford 0

Saturday, Nov. 22
Semifinals
Match 6: No. 1 ETSU 3, No. 5 UNCG 1
Match 7: No. 3 Wofford 3, No. 2 Furman 0

Sunday, Nov. 23
Championship
Match 8: No. 3 Wofford 3, No. 1 ETSU 2

All-Tournament Team
Lauren Haynes, Furman

Melanie Moris, ETSU

Whitley Rammel, ETSU

Allie Sweet, UNCG

Bradley Brown, Wofford

Annemarie Rakoski, Wofford

Chloe Smith, Wofford

 
Most Outstanding Player 
Chloe Smith, Wofford

 
Knight Commission Pinnacle Award (highest cumulative GPA among championship-eligible student-athletes on winning team)
Megan Brown, Wofford