Box Score Box Score (.pdf)
Spartanburg, S.C. – Madison Haake recorded her sixth triple-double of the season and Lexi Gober added her 12th double-double as the USC Upstate volleyball team fought back to defeat the Stetson Hatters 3-2 (23-25, 22-25, 25-20, 25-20, 15-12) Saturday afternoon in its final home match of the season.
Upstate improves to 15-13 on the season and 3-9 in A-Sun play, while Stetson falls to 10-16 overall and 4-8 in the conference.
Haake turned in an all-around effort on Saturday that saw her fall just five blocks shy of tallying a quadruple-double. The freshman finished the five-set match with 12 kills, 22 assists, 12 digs and five blocks. Gober posted 24 assists and 13 digs, while Emily Koelling collected a team-high 16 kills. Kaleigh Kelley led the team with a career-high 24 digs.
McKenna Foster and Kayla Weller each had a double-double for the Hatters, and Haley Tippett led all players with 17 kills. Michelle Kastner compiled a match-high 31 digs.
Stetson jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead over the Spartans starting with a 25-23 win in set one. Upstate scored four of the opening five points to lead to 4-1 capped by a service ace from Gober. The Hatters used a 10-6 run to go in front 11-10, but saw the Spartans take the lead back at 14-13 on Tippett's attack error. Shelby Connors put Stetson ahead 17-14 and held the lead until Haake and Koelling posted back-to-back kills to give Upstate a 22-21 advantage. The Hatters finished the set on a 4-1 run to win 25-23.
The Spartans led 4-0 early in the second set as Callie Yeargin collected three of her 10 kills in the opening three points. Stetson followed with two straight before Upstate went on a 6-1 run to hold a seven-point cushion at 10-3. The Spartans led by as many as five, 20-15, midway through the frame on an attack error by Foster. The Hatters limited Upstate to just two points after that as Connors and Madison Akins captured the set 25-22 to go up 2-0 in the match.
The Spartans began their comeback with a 25-20 victory in the third set to cut their deficit down to 2-1. The teams exchanged the first 10 points and sat tied 5-5 on a block by Haake and Koelling. Upstate benefitted from a 7-2 run to lead 12-7 and never trailed after that. Stetson got as close as one but the Spartans led by as many as six, 21-15, after another block by Haake and Koelling. A kill by Haake and service ace from Kayla Eversgerd gave Upstate the five-point victory.
Eversgerd gave the Spartans an early 4-3 lead in the fourth set with a service ace. After Madison Fitzsimmons cut the Hatter deficit to 12-11 midway, Upstate broke the set open with an 8-4 run to go ahead 20-15 courtesy of a Haake kill. Stetson attempted a late rally but only got to within three as Koelling won the set for the Spartans with a kill to put the final score at 25-20.
Upstate fell behind 4-0 to start the fifth set as Akins and Tippett recorded kills and Weller added a service ace. The Spartan deficit remained at four when Fitzsimmons put the Hatters ahead 10-6 with her kill. Upstate responded to tie the set at 11-11 after going on a 5-1 run as Brianna Tellschow evened the score following her kill. Eversgerd gave the Spartans a 12-11 lead the next play on a service ace, and held Stetson to one point the rest of the way as Tippett's error gave them the 15-12 victory to complete the comeback.
Upstate concludes its regular season next weekend at Jacksonville and North Florida.
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