HIGH POINT, N.C. – Ending a season that will forever be remembered, the Presbyterian College volleyball team (10-19, 5-9) fell to the Winthrop Eagles (16-9, 12-2) in the semifinals of the Big South Tournament on Saturday night with a final score of 3-1 (25-23, 22-25, 13-25, 20-25).
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
Winthrop started the match strong, taking the first two points before Ashley Miller's kill put Presbyterian on the board. The Eagles responded with another kill, but Brittney Daphnis and Julia Yurkovich delivered back-to-back kills to even the score at 3-3. The teams traded points, with Yurkovich adding another kill to tie it again at 5-5.
 
Winthrop broke the deadlock with a three-point rally to regain the lead. After a brief exchange of points, highlighted by kills from Aliza Hart and Miller, the score moved to 10-7 in the Eagles' favor. Anna Baranski spearheaded a two-point burst for the Blue Hose, cutting the deficit to one. The back-and-forth action continued, bringing the score to 12-11, with Winthrop clinging to a slim advantage.
 
Presbyterian capitalized on a flurry of Winthrop attack errors, sparking a four-point rally, before Courtney Williams' emphatic kill sent the Blue Hose into the media timeout with a 15-13 lead. Coming out of the break, PC added two more points, including another Yurkovich kill, forcing Winthrop to call a timeout at 17-13.
 
The Eagles regrouped and responded with a three-point run, trimming the deficit to 17-16. A timely kill by Elyse Hutchinson stopped the momentum, but Winthrop rallied again, scoring three of the next four points to tie the set at 19-19.
 
Kills from Miller and Williams allowed Presbyterian to edge back in front, and a late exchange of points saw Williams deliver two more kills, giving the Blue Hose a 23-21 advantage. Williams then notched another kill to reach set point, but Winthrop refused to back down, claiming the next two points.
 
After a timeout by Presbyterian, Williams sealed the deal with a powerful kill from the right side, clinching a thrilling 25-23 first-set victory for the Blue Hose.
 
Second Set
Williams and Daphnis wasted no time making an impact in the second set, each recording an early kill. However, Winthrop responded with a dominant seven-point run to take a 7-2 lead. After a Presbyterian timeout, the Eagles added another point before Yurkovich ended their streak with a powerful kill. Courtney Aulbaugh followed with a service ace, but Winthrop quickly countered with a five-point surge, extending their advantage to 13-4.
 
The Blue Hose began to find their rhythm, stringing together three unanswered points as Hutchinson and Baranski notched kills and teamed up for a block, trimming the deficit to 15-8. Although an Eagles kill briefly halted Presbyterian's momentum, the Blue Hose claimed five of the next six points, fueled by two kills from Miller, to narrow the gap to 17-13.
 
Winthrop called a timeout and regrouped, racing to the 20-point mark. Undeterred, Presbyterian answered with a three-point burst, led by a strong Williams kill, closing the margin to 20-16. The Eagles added two points, but Presbyterian fought back with another three-point rally, including two Williams kills and a key block from Williams and Hutchinson, cutting the deficit to 22-21 and forcing Winthrop to use their final timeout.
 
The Eagles responded after the break, claiming the next two points to reach set point at 24-21. Despite a late kill from Yurkovich, Winthrop held on to secure a 25-22 second-set victory.
 
Third Set
Miller set the tone for the third set, opening with a commanding kill to put Presbyterian on the board. Winthrop quickly answered with a kill of their own, but Miller continued to lead the charge, notching another kill and a service ace as part of a three-point run that gave the Blue Hose an early 4-1 advantage.
 
The Eagles responded with a four-point surge to take a 5-4 lead, but a block by Daphnis and Yurkovich ended their streak and tied the set at 5-5. Williams and Hutchinson combined for a block to reclaim the lead for Presbyterian, though Winthrop quickly tied it again. Hutchinson then delivered a kill to push PC back in front, but the Eagles rallied for a pair of points to retake the lead.
 
Presbyterian refused to back down, tying the score at 8-8 after a key point. The back-and-forth battle continued, with Baranski delivering a well-placed kill to push the tie to 10-10. However, Winthrop seized momentum with a five-point run, sending the teams into the media timeout with the Blue Hose trailing 15-10.
 
Baranski halted the Eagles' streak with a kill after the break, but Winthrop responded with another five-point rally, extending their lead to 20-11. Miller managed to end the run with another kill, though Winthrop answered with two quick points to maintain control. Despite a late effort from Williams the Eagles closed out the third set 25-13.
 
Fourth Set
Winthrop opened the fourth set with a service ace, but Presbyterian quickly answered with a kill from Williams and a service ace from Miller. A flurry of action followed, highlighted by hard-hit kills from Daphnis and Yurkovich, which gave the Blue Hose a narrow 4-3 lead. However, the advantage was short-lived as the Eagles responded with a four-point run, taking a 7-4 lead.
 
A Winthrop service error kept it a two-point game, and Presbyterian's next point narrowed the gap to one. The Eagles countered with a strong push, winning four of the next five rallies to extend their lead to 11-7. Undeterred, the Blue Hose fought back with two points, including a well-placed kill by Baranski. After another Eagles point, Miller's sharp attack sparked a small run, cutting the deficit to 12-11.
 
Winthrop regained control with three consecutive points, sending the teams to the media timeout with Presbyterian trailing 15-11. The Eagles added another point after the break, but the Blue Hose responded with three straight, powered by kills from Daphnis and Williams, to trim the deficit to 16-14. Although an Eagle kill briefly slowed PC's momentum, Hutchinson ignited a three-point rally with a commanding swing, tying the score at 17-all.
 
Winthrop used a timeout to regroup and came back with a quick two-points to reclaim a 19-17 lead, prompting a Presbyterian timeout. The Eagles continued their push, adding three more points to force another PC timeout at 22-17. Despite the uphill battle, the Blue Hose showed resilience, taking two points led by another Baranski kill. However, Winthrop held firm in the closing moments, sealing the match with a 25-19 fourth-set victory.



NOTABLES
- Miller finished with 10 kills, 16 digs, and two service aces, marking her fourth double-double of the season.
- Williams tallied 12 kills at a .312 hitting percentage, with five blocks.
- Baranski put up her 21^st double-double of the year with 25 assists and 19 digs while adding seven kills.
- Aulbaugh totaled 26 digs and a service ace.