HIGH POINT, N.C. – In the quarterfinals of the Big South Conference Championships, the sixth seed Presbyterian College volleyball team (10-18, 5-9) upset the third seed USC Upstate Spartans (13-15, 8-6) after a hard-fought five set victory, 3-2 (26-24, 20-25, 25-22, 21-25, 16-14).
 
COACH BENSON'S THOUGHTS
"Good hard-fought win! We struggled at certain points but pushed through the lows to secure the five-set victory. A key to the match was our blocking—we tallied 11, which proved to be crucial in such a close contest. We'll enjoy this win tonight and get ready for a tough challenge against Winthrop tomorrow."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
The Spartans opened the match strong, claiming the first two points before Brittney Daphnis and Courtney Williams responded with kills to even the score. The back-and-forth battle continued, with the set knotted at 4-4 early on. Upstate pulled ahead briefly with a two-point burst, but Julia Yurkovich delivered a key kill to halt their run.
 
Not long after, the Blue Hose seized control with a commanding five-point rally, highlighted by a service ace from Elyse Hutchinson and a kill from Anna Baranski, pushing the score to 11-8 in Presbyterian's favor. Although the Spartans responded with a pair of points, Presbyterian countered with three consecutive points, capped off by Ashley Miller's service ace.
 
The teams traded points before Upstate rallied to tie the set at 17-17. A timely kill by Yurkovich and a clutch service ace from Amaris Alvarez kept the Blue Hose narrowly in front. However, the Spartans quickly shifted the momentum, taking a 21-19 lead.
 
Presbyterian refused to back down, with Baranski's kill tying the set again at 21-21. Upstate edged ahead at 23-21, but another powerful kill from Baranski closed the gap to one point. Facing set point at 24-22, the Blue Hose displayed resilience. Williams delivered back-to-back kills to even the score at 24-24. Daphnis and Yurkovich rose to the occasion with consecutive assisted blocks, securing the dramatic 26-24 victory in the first set for the Blue Hose.
 
Second Set
Despite an early kill from Miller, Upstate jumped out to a 3-1 advantage. Williams added another kill for Presbyterian, but the Spartans extended their lead to 5-2. Upstate claimed three of the next four points, widening the gap to 7-3.
 
The Blue Hose pushed back with a pair of blocks from Hutchinson and a service ace by Alvarez. After a point from the Spartans made it 8-6, Presbyterian tied the score at 8-8, highlighted by a powerful kill from Hutchinson. However, Upstate responded with a three-point surge to reclaim a 12-9 lead.
 
The teams traded points in the middle stages of the set, with Upstate holding a narrow 14-12 edge. The Spartans then rattled off three straight points to increase their lead, but Presbyterian answered with kills from Hutchinson and Miller, paired with another Alvarez service ace, keeping the Blue Hose within reach.
 
Upstate regained momentum with a decisive 5-1 run, stretching their advantage to 22-16. While Baranski, Yurkovich, and Williams delivered late kills to fight off set point, it wasn't enough to derail the Spartans, who secured a 25-20 victory in the second set.
 
Third Set
Upstate opened the third set with two quick points, but the Blue Hose evened the score, sparked by a kill from Miller. The teams exchanged points, with kills from Williams, Yurkovich, and Baranski bringing the score to a 5-5 tie.
 
Despite a solo block from Hutchinson, the Spartans gained momentum, scoring five of the next six points to take an 11-6 lead. The Blue Hose responded with a flurry of action, including kills from Miller, Daphnis, and Williams, as well as a service ace from Baranski, narrowing the gap to 12-10. Another Miller kill brought Presbyterian within one point at 13-12.
 
Upstate scored twice to maintain their edge, but the Blue Hose battled back with a kill from Daphnis, a block by Yurkovich and Hutchinson, and a service ace from Aliza Hart, tying the set at 16-16. Although a Spartan kill briefly broke the tie, Presbyterian surged ahead with a four-point run, earning a 20-17 advantage.
 
The Spartans fought back, leveling the score at 20-20 with three consecutive points. However, Baranski's kill reignited the Blue Hose, sparking a three-point rally to take a 23-20 lead. Upstate cut the deficit to one with a pair of kills, but Baranski delivered another clutch kill, and Daphnis sealed the set with a commanding solo block, giving Presbyterian a 25-22 victory in the third set.
 
Fourth Set
Building on their momentum from the previous set, the Blue Hose stormed to a 3-0 lead to start the fourth, fueled by a Williams kill and two assisted blocks from Daphnis. A Spartan kill put Upstate on the board, but Presbyterian responded with another three-point burst featuring kills from Williams and Daphnis, along with a service ace by Miller, pushing the score to 6-1.
 
The teams traded points, bringing the score to 8-3, before Upstate chipped away at the deficit to make it 8-6. The back-and-forth action continued as Baranski, Miller, Yurkovich, and Williams each contributed kills, extending Presbyterian's lead to 13-10. Another Yurkovich kill and a well-placed service ace from Courtney Aulbaugh pushed the Blue Hose ahead 15-11.
 
However, the Spartans regained momentum, taking eight of the next nine points to surge ahead 19-16. The teams exchanged points, bringing the score to 21-18, but late kills from Miller and Williams pulled Presbyterian within one at 21-20. Despite the effort, Upstate held firm and closed out the set with a 25-21 victory, forcing a decisive fifth set.
 
Fifth Set
Upstate jumped to a quick 3-0 lead in the decisive fifth set, but Miller and Daphnis responded with kills to narrow the gap to 3-2. Following a strong kill from Yurkovich, the teams traded points, though the Spartans managed to extend their advantage to 7-4.
 
Yurkovich continued to deliver, adding another kill to bring the score to 9-6, with Upstate still holding a three-point lead. However, the Blue Hose found their rhythm, claiming four of the next five points thanks to a pair of kills from Miller and one each from Daphnis and Baranski, leveling the score at 10-10.
 
Upstate regained momentum with three consecutive points to pull ahead 13-10. With the match on the line, Presbyterian dug deep. Kills from Williams and Yurkovich tied the set once again at 13-13. An attack error brought the Spartans to match point, but Williams stepped up with a clutch kill, keeping the Blue Hose alive at 14-14.
 
An error on the set gave the Blue Hose match point, and Hutchinson capitalized, driving Baranski's set to the opponent's floor. The thrilling rally sealed the Blue Hose's hard-fought 16-14 victory and a dramatic match win.
 
NOTABLES
- The Blue Hose advance to the semifinals after picking up their first Big South Tournament victory since 2019.
- Baranski took 29 assists, 20 digs, and 11 kills, marking her third triple-double of the
year.
- Miller tallied 15 kills, 19 digs, and 2 aces, grabbing her third double-double of the season.
- Hart totaled 23 assists and 13 digs for her first double-double of the year.
- Williams finished with 15 Kills while hitting at an impressive .303 rate.
- Yurkovich notched 11 kills and three blocks.
- Hutchinson and Daphnis led the team at the net with six blocks apiece.
- Aulbaugh's skills at libero showed with her career-high 32 digs and a service ace.
- Alvarez served three aces on the night.
 
UP NEXT
The Blue Hose advance to the Big South Tournament Semifinals where they will face the second seed Winthrop Eagles tomorrow at 6:00 p.m.