SALISBURY, N.C. - A tight South Atlantic Conference match eluded the comeback attempts of the Newberry Wolves, as the host Catawba Indians took the match three sets to one (25-23, 25-23, 24-26, 25-23) in Goodman Gym on Friday night.

Newberry falls to 10-6 overall and 5-5 in SAC play. The Wolves travel to Charlotte, N.C., Saturday for a 2 p.m. match at Queens University.

Amanda Soper (Simi Valley, Calif.) led the Wolves with career highs in both kills and digs, putting away 17 kills and earning 13 digs for her second career double-double.

Jessica King (Los Angeles, Calif.) put away 10 kills and was in on three blocks, while Elayni Stokes (Houston, Texas) had a strong night in the back row with 23 digs and contributed two service aces.

Chelsea Mayor (Sugar Land, Texas) passed out 24 assists and had 14 digs for a double-double, while Rachel Moran (Cypress, Texas) also passed out 19 assists and had two aces.

“I think we had a decent effort tonight. We never quit and we battled all night long,” said head coach Todd Hay. “We had some good performances, especially Amanda Soper on the outside after switching positions.

“That being said, our consistency was just a little off all night. We could never get into an offensive flow. When a lot of things on the court are new, you have to have everyone focus in and step up. Some people stepped up tonight, some people didn't and I think that cost us tonight. It's disappointing, but it's time to regroup and play a tough Queens team tomorrow.”

In the opening set, the Wolves saw an 11-7 lead disappear as Catawba pushed out to a 21-13 lead. Newberry responded with a run of its own to get back to 22-20. Catawba got to set point at 24-21 and the Wolves scored two straight to put a scare into the Indians, who earned a 25-23 win in the set. Soper had five kills in the set and Stokes was good in the back row with seven digs.

Errors hurt the Wolves in the opening set, as they had 12 kills and 11 miscues for a .023 hitting percentage.

Neither team hit well in the second set, with Newberry notching nine kills and nine errors for a .000 percentage, while Catawba had eight kills and 10 errors for a minus-.057 rate.

Because of that parity, the set was tight throughout. Catawba got out to a 6-1 lead, but Newberry tied the set back up by 12-all. Neither team asserted themselves to a large surge, although a three-point run late allowed the Wolves to claim a 20-18 lead. The two sides battled and Newberry had a slight edge at 23-22 before the hosts scored the final three points to take a two sets to none lead.

In the third set, Newberry fought off Catawba's closing efforts well to eke out a 26-24 set victory. Neither team ever led by more than four points in the set. Catawba had set point at 24-23 after a block, but three consecutive Catawba errors to close out the set kept Newberry's hopes alive. Soper had six kills in the set and Stokes had 10 digs.

Newberry had a late lead in the fourth set and had momentum before Catawba wrested it away with a strong closing effort. Newberry was up 23-19 to force a Catawba timeout. A Newberry error put the hosts at the service line, where Kaytee Frabotta served four aces in the final five points to give the hosts the win.

The Wolves hit .189 in the set and had three aces of their own. Soper had four kills and Hayward and King had three kills apiece.