CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – After opening its season with back-to-back victories, the William & Mary volleyball team suffered its first setback of the 2021 campaign with a 3-1 loss to Winthrop in Charlottesville, Va., on Friday evening.
 
W&M (2-1) won the first set, 25-23, but fell in the final three frames (25-16, 25-16, 25-20).
 
Anne Louise Seekford led the Tribe with 11 kills on a .375 hitting percentage to go with 12 digs, while Julia Brown posted 10 kills with a .273 hitting percentage.
 
Anna Porter recorded a match-high 20 digs, while Sabrina Malcolm added seven kills and a match-high five blocks.
 
W&M got off to a good start by claiming the tightly contested opening set, 25-23. Although the Tribe never trailed, Winthrop (2-3) kept the margin within three the entire way. After the Eagles narrowed the gap to 24-23 late in the set, Brown secured the frame with her third put-away of the set.
 
Although the second and third sets were close midway through, Winthrop utilized a pair of big runs down the stretch – 8-1 in the third set and 9-2 in the fourth – to earn a pair of 25-16 wins.
 
Both teams were tied at 18-18 in the final frame, but Winthrop closed out the match by scoring seven of the final nine points to secure the victory.
 
W&M will wrap up its trip to Charlottesville when it squares off against Akron on Saturday at 11:30 p.m.