BOSTON, Mass. --- College of Charleston faced two deficits for a second-straight Sunday as they fell behind 2-1 entering the fourth set. Charleston got up off the mat for a second time in as many-weeks for a 3-2 win, this time on the road at Northeastern to earn a series split.
Key performances all around led the Cougars to the 3-2 (24-26, 25-9, 20-25, 25-18, 15-7) win as
Lexi Wierzbicki had a match-high 20 kills,
Tynley Smeltzer had a season-best 27 digs,
Sofie Vogel had eight blocks and
Emma Appleman had a career-high 48 assists to highlight valiant efforts from the Cougars up and down the lineup.
Northeastern took a hard-fought first set 26-24, but the Cougars responded in a big way dominating from start to finish in the second, 25-9. Charleston's second-set win put an end to the Huskies' four set win streak to open the weekend, setting the stage for a back-and-forth match.
The home Huskies grabbed their second lead of the day as they hit a match-high .250 in the third but Charleston would answer right back with an efficient fourth set that saw 21 of their 25 points come on kills or the block.
Riding the momentum from a fourth-set win, Charleston took an early 4-1 lead and never looked back in a 15-7 match-sealing game. The Huskies would cut it to 6-5 on an Anabel Zier kill before a Charleston 4-0 run halted any chance at the comeback.
Sunday's win marked the second five set victory in favor of the Cougars in as many weeks after erasing 1-0 and 2-1 holes to rival Elon inside TD Arena seven days ago.
Northeastern was led by 15 kills and 24 digs from Zier and 10 kills and 15 digs from Julianna Truscott in the loss.
QUICK SETS
Final Score: Charleston 3, Northeastern 2 (24-26, 25-9, 20-25, 25-18, 15-7)
Location: Cabot Center | Boston, Mass.
Records: Charleston (10-15, 7-7 CAA), Northeastern (10-10, 8-6 CAA)
Turning Point
Charleston jumped out to a 9-3 lead in the fourth set getting kills from
Anna Smith,
Sofie Vogel,
Sopheea Mink and
Lexi Wierzbicki. That start to the fourth game shutdown any momentum the Huskies had after taking a 2-1 lead and jumpstarted the Cougar comeback over the final two sets.
Key Cougars
- Lexi Wierzbicki had 20 kills to lead all – her third time reaching 20 in a single match this season. The graduate outside hitter secured her sixth double-double adding 11 digs and four blocks.
- Anna Smith had 15 kills with multiple putting an end to mini Husky rallies throughout the match.
- Emma Appleman was strong at the pivot providing a career-high 48 assists and adding 16 digs for her 18th career double-double. The junior setter had a season-best performance across the board with four kills, two blocks, two aces and seven points.
- Tynley Smeltzer was one of five Cougars to finish the day with 10-plus digs leading the way with a season-high 27 Sunday. Her lone service ace came as the final point of the day, capping the series split.
- Sofie Vogel had 11 kills leading the Cougars with a .360 attack percentage while stuffing eight Husky attempts. Vogel's effort at the net led a Charleston block that finished with 13 on the day.
- Elli Kinney had a career-best 18 digs in the win, besting her previous mark of 17 at The Citadel in late August.
- Chandler Manusky added 10 digs, her fourth time reaching double figures this season.
Match Notes
- Charleston won their second five set match of the season and second in as many Sundays.
- Charleston improved to 9-2 on the season when they win the second set. They also moved to 4-1 when they win the fourth set.
- Lexi Wierzbicki reached 20 kills for the third time this fall and second in CAA play. All three have come on the road. She also collected her sixth career double-double, all this season.
- Emma Appleman extended her lead on active double-doubles leader with her 18th as a Cougar Sunday. The junior setter had a career-high 48 assists with 16 digs.
- With Appleman's performance Sunday, all three Cougars to play at the pivot this season have enjoyed a 40-assist day (Jasmin Goei, Hannah Scott and Emma Appleman).
- Sofie Vogel had six-or-more blocks for the fifth time deterring a match-high eight.
- Charleston has played in five five-set matches in 2023, all have been in CAA play. Three of those five happened in the month of October.
- Sunday's win was the first 3-2 on the road or at a neutral site since a victory over Howard on Sept. 3, 2021.
Up Next
Charleston entertains Hofstra in another crucial CAA series as the regular season winds down and teams fight for positioning in the upcoming CAA Championships in Towson, Md. The Pride enters the weekend in a tie for fourth with Northeastern at 8-6 in league play while the Cougars sit just one game behind at 7-7 in a four-way tie for the sixth and final postseason spot.