NEWBERRY, SC – Newberry pushed Catawba the distance on Tuesday night but fell in a 3–2 decision, rallying from two sets down before dropping a tight fifth (21–25, 18–25, 25–18, 25–17, 13–15) at Eleazer Arena. With the result, the Wolves move to 11–13 overall and 6–11 in SAC play.
Samantha Shaffer led Newberry with a match-high 19 kills on .381 hitting, adding three blocks for 21.0 points. Evie Paalman registered 9 kills (.348) and 3 blocks, while Carole Ann Hussey tallied 8 kills and two block assists. Anna Schneider contributed 8 kills, 14 digs, and a team-best 3 aces to round out a balanced attack.
Setters Annie Dill (27 assists, 8 digs) and Merryck Brackett (12 assists, 9 digs) commanded the offense that finished with 51 kills and .207 hitting. Defensively, the Wolves collected 75 digs and 9.0 team blocks, led by Hailey Clayworth's 16 digs and Madison Watson's 5 block assists.
Newberry closes the regular season this week with one final SAC match on the schedule, but first they will host USC Aiken tomorrow night at 6pm!
