Published: Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009 / Updated: Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009 12:22 AM

Liberty tops Eagles in battle for second place in Big South

Saturday's volleyball match at the Winthrop Coliseum against Liberty was the big one; the winner would take sole possession of second place in the Big South Conference. The match was to cap a five-game home stand for Winthrop's Eagles and had been the focal point for the team as far back as 10 days ago.

Winthrop came out inexplicably flat and was burned by the Flames 3-0 (25-12, 25-19, 25-21).

The slow start was the second consecutive outing in which Winthrop came on to the floor sluggish. The Eagles weren't sharp Friday night against High Point and found themselves down 2-0 to the Panthers before rallying for a 3-2 win.

It is a problem that needs to be corrected, and quickly. Winthrop has five regular-season games remaining before the conference tournament begins. They still have fourth-place Coastal Carolina to play (Saturday, in Conway) and a date at first-place UNC Asheville on Nov. 14.

“We have shown in our last two games that we are going to come out weak,” Winthrop coach Sally Polhamus said, “and then decide to turn it on in the third set. Liberty is too strong for that.”

Winthrop junior setter Kelsey Hall didn't have answers for what transpired on the court after the match.

“Liberty didn't do anything we hadn't seen on film,” she said. “Coach gave us the scouting report and we all wanted this game, especially on our home court.”

The loss dropped Winthrop (16-8, 8-3 BSC) into third place in the conference.

What made the lopsided loss more baffling is the way the first meeting was played at Liberty on Sept. 25. Winthrop won the first two sets in that one before the Flames rallied for a 3-2 win.

Hall said the team saw they had a chance at Liberty and played that much harder but Saturday “it came down to our attitude.”

“On defense, we had a complete breakdown,” Polhamus said.

Liberty's hitting percentage hovered around .500 in the first two games; a ridiculous number, according to Polhamus.

Freshman Loren Thomas had 11 kills and hit .562. Chelaine McCarty led the Flames with 12 kills.

Sara Felts led Winthrop with 13 kills and a .440 hitting percentage.

Winthrop won its first nine home matches of the year. The streak was snapped when UNC Asheville beat the Eagles to begin the home stand. The Eagles pieced together three straight wins before this loss.

Liberty, the preseason pick to win its third consecutive conference championship, showed some vulnerability this month when they lost two in a row. The Flames have won four straight matches.

Every match through the end of the season will be a little more pressing for Winthrop. The Big South tournament will be held Nov. 19-21 at Radford.

“We'll have to play our ‘A' game from here on out,” Polhamus said.