MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Northwestern State finished opening weekend of the 2025 season with a 3-0 (25-15, 25-20, 25-23) straight set loss to USC Upstate on Saturday morning.
The Demons (1-2) put forward a solid defensive game, averaging 17.0 digs per set and just under two blocks per set, but were unable to convert those chances into points on the offensive end to keep pace with the Spartans' (2-1) attack and aggressive serving.
USC Upstate seized control of the opening set with a 7-1 run to take a 15-8 lead. They fed outside hitter Summer Kohler during the set who finished with seven kills in the first on 13 swings with just one error.
She had two kills on the second 7-1 run in the set that sealed the win 25-15 for the Spartans.
The Demons nearly experienced a repeat in the second set after the Spartans jumped ahead to a 14-8 lead behind an 8-1 scoring run. This time however, the run-stopping debut of freshman outside hitter
Elsie Sanchez Oliver prevented the déjà vu.
After a quiet first set, Sanchez Oliver found her match flow near the end of the second set. She helped the Demons prevent any more Spartan scoring runs to go beyond two consecutive points the rest of the set, with three of her five kills as an immediate answer to Upstate points.
Her five kills came on eight error free swings in the frame as she finished the match with a team-best 11 kills on 23 swings with just one error for a .435 attack percentage.
The deficit was too much to overcome in the second and the Demons fell behind two sets to none with 25-20 final.
The Spartans led by as much as nine late in the final set, creating another tough deficit for the Demons to work their way out of. Upstate benefited from a handful of Demon errors early in the frame plus one of their more efficient offensive segments of the match with 12 kills of their own to take a 20-11 lead.
Sanchez Oliver once again showed signs of her clutch gene sparking the Demons to go on a 9-2 run to pull within two points of the Spartans. She had three of her four kills in the set during the stretch to give NSU a chance to pull of the comeback and keep the match alive.
A block from
Deja Benjamin and
Julia Whitfield, kill from
Makenna Tryon and a Spartan attack error necessitated an Upstate timeout as the Demons pulled within a point at 24-23.
The momentum-halting break worked for the Spartans as they converted it into the match-winning kill to complete the sweep of the Demons.
Emmarie McFarland just missed her second 20-dig match of the weekend, finishing one shy with 19, but still putting up and impressive 6.3 per set average, bolstered by her 10 in third set alone.
The Demons continue their seven-match, season-opening road swing on Wednesday night when they travel to Abilene Christian.
