OXFORD, Ohio – The USC Upstate volleyball team continued play at the Miami Best Western Sycamore Inn Invitational on Friday evening falling 3-0 (12-25, 10-25, 13-25) to the Northwestern Wildcats at Millett Hall.
USC Upstate drops to 0-2 overall while Northwestern improves to 1-0 on the season.
The Wildcats recorded the first eight points of the first set en route to a 12-3 run. Northwestern went ahead 15-5 and led by double-digits for the remainder of the set. The Spartans got as close as 11 points six times with the last coming at 20-9 on a kill by McKenna Kirkpatrick. The Wildcats went on to capture the set 25-12.
USC Upstate got on the board first in the second set when Gloria Ikenegbu and Mackenzie Lauer teamed up for a combination block. Lauer and Emily Russell later combined for a block and trimmed the Spartans deficit down to 6-4. Northwestern answered by scoring 11 straight points to increase their lead to 17-4. The Wildcats collected eight of final 13 points to secure the 25-10 victory.
USC Upstate benefited from back-to-back Northwestern attack errors to lead 2-1 to begin the third set. Another attack error later tied the score at 5-5. A kill by Russell would then cut Northwestern's lead down to 7-6. The Wildcats responded by going on a 7-1 run to take a 14-7 advantage. The Spartans got to within six points several times midway with the last coming at 18-12 on a service error. Northwestern closed out the set on a 7-1 run for the 25-13 win and 3-0 match victory.
Stats of the Match
· For the second straight match, Kirkpatrick led USC Upstate offensively with six kills.
· Mikenzie Young-Mullins contributed five kills and seven digs.
· Scout Hoffmeier tied for the team-lead with seven digs while dishing out 11 assists.
· Nia Robinson had a match-high 12 kills for the Wildcats.
· Payton Chang contributed 37 assists.
· Michelle Lee and Charlotte Cronister registered 11 and 10 digs, respectively.
Up Next
· The Spartans conclude play at the Miami Best Western Sycamore Inn Invitational on Saturday afternoon facing host Miami (OH) at 1 p.m.
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