No. 2 Wofford wins 2024 SoCon Volleyball Championship

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – In an instant classic, the Wofford Terriers (23-8), the No. 2 seed, won the 2024 Southern Conference Volleyball Championship in five sets (22-25, 22-25, 25-16, 26-24, 16-14) over top seed Mercer, earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship on Sunday afternoon inside Wofford’s Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium.

Sunday’s match marked the second time in nine days the two squads played a five-set match against one another as Mercer was victories in Macon on Nov. 15. Sunday’s contest was also the first SoCon tournament title match to last five sets since 2019.

The two teams opened the match splitting the first 20 points. Wofford became the first squad to lead by more than one point following a 3-point run, making the score 13-10 which led to a timeout by Mercer. The Bears came out of the break on a run, taking the lead at 16-15 following three straight kills from first-team all-conference selection Skyler Bumpers, prompting a timeout by Wofford.

Mercer would get within two points of ending the set as a kill by all-freshman team performer Sophia Henry made the score 23-20, forcing a Terrier timeout. After the break, the two teams split the final four points of the frame, with the set ending on Bumpers’ 10th kill. The Bears won the first set 25-22, taking a 1-0 lead in the contest.

With the Terriers ahead 4-3 in the second set, the Bears scored five straight points, punctuated by a block from Bumpers. Following a timeout by Wofford, the score would eventually be tied 10-10 after a solo block from Annemarie Rakoski. The Terriers carried that momentum to a 12-11 lead after an attack error by the Bears. Back-to-back attack errors by Mercer made the score 16-14 in favor of Wofford, forcing a timeout by the Bears.

The score would go on to be tied at 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22 as the set entered crunch time. Mercer would then score three straight points off a kill by Henry, an attack error from Wofford and a kill from Bumpers, ending the frame at 25-22.

Wofford began the third set with a flurry, going ahead 4-0 to start the frame. The Terriers led 15-10 at the media timeout, following a block by Bradley Brown and Natalie Arnold. Wofford’s lead would grow to 20-10 with Mary Emily Morgan on the service line before the Bears forced a side-out.

The Terriers would not let their lead get below eight points for the remainder of the set. The frame would eventually end 25-16 after a kill from Morgan, sending the match into the fourth set.

In the fourth set, the two squads split the first 20 points. The score remained tight over the next nine points as Mercer carried a 15-14 lead into the media timeout. Coming out of the timeout, the Bears built on their lead, going ahead 19-16 on a kill by SoCon Setter of the Year Brooke Phillips, prompting a timeout by Wofford.

A service error by Mercer made its lead 20-19, but the Bears score the next two points, punctuated by a block from Henry and Joselynn Sanjurjo, forcing a Terriers timeout. Following the break, Wofford got a kill from Arnold and a block from Rakoski and Bri Mahoney, prompting a timeout by the Bears.

After an attack error by Mercer tied the score at 22-22, the Bears got two straight points to get to championship point. Wofford would not go quietly, scoring the next four points to win the set, 26-24, to force a deciding set.

Mercer drew first blood in the fifth set, going ahead 6-3 after an attack error by Wofford. Three points later, a kill by Henry made the score 8-4 and the teams switched sides of the net. After another Henry kill moved the score to 9-5, the Terriers took a timeout.

The Bears scored the first point out of the timeout, but the Terriers responded with three straight points off their own, prompting a timeout from Mercer. Wofford would eventually tie the set at 11-11 following a solo block by Morgan, leading to the Bears taking their final timeout.

After splitting the next four points, a kill from Brown made the score 14-13 in favor of Wofford. Bumpers got a kill to tie the score at 14 but kills from Mahoney and Rakoski ended the set at 16-14, giving the Terriers the championship.

The match featured 42 ties and 16 lead changes.

Sarah MacLean, the 2024 SoCon Tournament Most Outstanding Player, finished with eight kills and three blocks. MacLean had a total of 37 kills over the tournament. Morgan had a double-double, logging 11 kills and a team-high 19 digs. MeMe Davis had a match-high 26 digs, while Bumpers recorded a match-high 21 kills for Mercer.

Wofford will learn its NCAA tournament opponent during the selection show on Sunday, Dec. 1. The show is set for 6 p.m. ET on ESPN.

2024 Southern Conference Volleyball Championship
Spartanburg, South Carolina (Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium)

Thursday, Nov. 21
First Round
Match 1: No. 9 UNCG 3, No. 8 Western Carolina 0

Friday, Nov. 22
Quarterfinals
Match 2: No. 5 The Citadel 3, No. 4 Samford 2
Match 3: No. 1 Mercer 3, No. 9 UNCG 0
Match 4: No. 2 Wofford 3, No. 7 Chattanooga 0
Match 5: No. 3 ETSU 3, No. 6 Furman 2

Saturday, Nov. 23
Semifinals
Match 6: No. 1 Mercer 3, No. 5 The Citadel 0
Match 7: No. 2 Wofford 3, No. 3 ETSU 1

Sunday, Nov. 24
Championship
Match 8: No. 2 Wofford 3, No. 1 Mercer 2

All-Tournament Team
Ali Ruffin, The Citadel

Reese Rhodes, ETSU

Skyler Bumpers, Mercer

MeMe Davis, Mercer

Laney Klika, Wofford

Bri Mahoney, Wofford

Sarah MacLean, Wofford

 
Most Outstanding Player 
Sarah MacLean, Wofford

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