SPARTANBURG, S.C. – On its home floor for the final time for the penultimate match of the season, USC Upstate volleyball showed its resilience for its seniors, engaging in a Senior Day battle against Winthrop before falling in four sets Saturday afternoon at the G.B. Hodge Center.
 
Game Information
Score: Winthrop 3; USC Upstate 1 (25-19; 11-25; 25-17; 25-22)
Records: USC Upstate (12-13; 5-8 Big South); Winthrop (12-12; 11-2 Big South)
Location: G.B. Hodge Center | Spartanburg, S.C.
 
How It Happened
Honoring seniors Nikki Deslatte, Zelasia Edwards, Kate Idrogo, and Emma McElveen, USC Upstate exhibited its resolve as befitting the culture established by this group of resilient seniors. Answering back after dropping the first set, the Spartans handed Winthrop its most-lopsided set defeat in Big South play before the teams battled back and forth in the next two sets, seeing 13 ties and eight lead changes as the Eagles pulled away late in both sets to take the match.
 
Continuing the streak of matches featuring a balanced offensive attack, four Spartans finished with seven or more kills while two attackers reached double-figure kills for the fourth straight match. Leading the offense, sophomore middle blocker Ady O'Grady recorded double-digit kills for the 13^th time, doing so with 13 terminations and a .375 hitting efficiency. Joining her in double-figures, junior outside hitter Ashleigh Nicoll threw down 11 kills, reaching double-digit kills for the 16^th time this season.
 
Rounding out the quartet of Spartans with seven or more kills were sophomore right-side hitter MJ Klaumann and senior middle blocker Nikki Deslatte who totaled nine and seven kills, respectively. Junior setter Kayla Spangler paced the offense Saturday afternoon, passing out 34 assists, exceeding 30 assists for the fourth straight match.
 
On the defensive side of the game, Upstate saw five players record double-figure digs for the first time in 12 matches—Sep. 29 vs. Charleston Southern—as the Spartans averaged 18.25 digs per set. Captaining the back line, junior libero Julia Gladhill picked up a match-high 23 digs as she claimed her fifth career 20-plus dig match.
 
A pair of Spartans captured double-doubles—a feat not accomplished in 11 matches (Sep. 30 vs. Presbyterian)—with their dig totals as Nicoll and Spangler totaled 10 digs apiece for their ninth and seventh double-doubles, respectively, of the season. Senior defensive specialist Caroline Cleveland and senior outside hitter Zelasia Edwards picked up 11 and 10 balls, respectively, closing out the quintet of players with 10 or more digs.
 
At the net, Upstate registered 6.0 total team blocks, reaching or exceeding the total for the ninth time during Big South play. Combining on each of the team's six blocks, O'Grady tied a season-high with six total blocks while Klaumann added three total blocks, Nicoll two total blocks, and Spangler one total block.
 
At the service line, Upstate landed 10 service aces, reaching double-figures for the third time this season as six of the team's seven employed servers landed a winner. For the second straight match, the fourth time this season, and the fifth time in her career, Edwards landed four aces, giving her 35 winners on the season.
 
UP Next for the Spartans
Closing out the regular season with a chance to claim the team's best conference finish in the program's Division I era (2007-pres.), Upstate gets another shot to earn points in the Ingles I-26 Rivalry Series, travelling to UNC Asheville next Saturday. Match time for the season finale is set for 4 p.m. ET.
 
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