Winthrop volleyball ends historic season in first round of NCAA tournament

The Winthrop volleyball team put an early scare into a top-10 opponent, holding a late lead in the first set before eighth-seeded Washington took control for a straight-set win in the opening round of the NCAA volleyball tournament.

In a dramatic opening set with 15 ties and eight lead changes, Winthrop (24-5, 14-0 Big South) put up a strong defensive effort, holding a powerful Husky team to .222 hitting. The Eagles led on many occasions, including as late as 23-22 before Washington took the final three points to win the set.

“We try to force teams to do things they’re uncomfortable with, and that happened in the first set,” head coach Chuck Rey said. “(But) Washington’s No. 15 (Kara Bajema) had 10 kills in the first set, and when you have someone special like that, there’s not a whole lot we can do against it.

A third-team All-American in 2018, Bajema had 18 kills and a .667 hitting percentage to lead the Huskies.

With the 25-23, 25-10, 25-10 victory, Washington (25-6, 15-5 Pac-12) snapped the 12-match winning streak for Winthrop. The Eagles’ 24-5 final record is their best since going 34-3 in 2006.

“To be an undefeated conference champion says a lot about their team,” Washington head coach Keegan Cook said. “I thought they represented themselves really well, especially in that first set, serving tough and playing clean volleyball.”

Playing closer to her home state of Hawaii than at any point in her career with the Eagles, senior Siana Yamaguchi led Winthrop with 11 assists and 11 digs, her 20th double-double of the season. She played in front of a small but very vocal group of friends and family that made the trip from the islands.

Yamaguchi eclipsed the 4,000-assist mark in the final match of her career, finishing with 4,007 — good enough for fourth in program history.

Junior outside hitter Nikkia Benitez led the Eagles with six kills, chipping in three blocks and five digs.

“The seniors have been great ambassadors to Winthrop University,” Rey said. “We forget that they’re students first and athletes next. We had finals all this week and had to take them on the road.

“We’ve had some great success in the past with this program, and this is one of the best teams in this program’s history. They should hold their chins up high and be proud of what they’ve done for this program.”