The Charleston Southern Buccaneers fought back from 2-1 and defeated the Presbyterian Blue Hose on Thursday night 3-2 in the Buc Dome. The Bucs (14-14, 8-7) played in two extended periods, winning the first set 31-29 and losing the second set 29-27. 

Set One
Charleston Southern jumped out to a 5-3 lead after back-to-back attack errors by the Blue Hose. It was a back and forth battle from that point on, as Presbyterian went on a 9-4 run to take a 12-9 lead mid-way through. A kill by Giada Pais-Marden tied it up at 17. Then, the Bucs went on another run that ended with a kill by Jyriah Morgan to make it 21-19. 

After an attack error, the Blue Hose took a 24-23 lead, needing one point to claim the set, but both teams traded points until Emilee Karelse had two straight services aces to give the Buccaneers the 31-29 set win. 

Set Two
The Bucs looked to be in control early, taking a 4-1 lead to start the set, but the Blue Hose fought back again, tying the score at eight. After trading points, the Buccaneers got three straight points with three straight attack errors by the Blue Hose. 

Charleston Southern got to set point on three separate occasions, but were unable to capitalize as Presbyterian scored the final three points of the set to win 29-27.

Set Three
Neither team took control of the set until the end of the set. Down 18-16, the Blue Hose scored five of the next six points to take a 21-19 lead. The Bucs tied it up with a kill by Pais-Marden, but it was not enough. Presbyterian scored the final three points to take a 2-1 lead. 

Set Four
Presbyterian looked to be in control earlier, jumping out to a 10-7 lead, but Charleston Southern tied it with a kill by Skylar Yates and a service ace by Julia Fledderjohn gave them an 11-10 lead. There were 11 lead changes in this set until Charleston Southern scored the final three points with a kill by Pais-Marden and back-to-back attack errors, giving the Buccaneers a 25-21 win. They outscored the Blue Hose 6-2 to tie the match at two. 

Set Five
The Buccaneers found success early, jumping out to a 5-0 lead Indigo Young and Pais-Marden had two kills and Ilaria Durante had a service ace, giving the Bucs the early advantage. Back came the Blue Hose, who erased the five-point deficit to tie the set at nine with back-to-back kills. 

After both teams traded points to tie it at twelve, the Bucs scored the final three points, capped off with a kill by Yates to give CSU the match. 

Players of the Game
Pais-Marden played one of her best matches of the year, as she led the way with 19 kills on the night. Karelse had three service aces and 31 assists, both of which led all scorers. Angelika Rusin led the team in digs with 31, and Indigo Young had a hitting percentage of .294 in 17 attempts. 

This was the fourth straight win for the Buccaneers, which is their longest winning streak of the season. They look to make it five in a row on Friday at 6 p.m. when Winthrop comes to the Buc Dome. Fans are encouraged to arrive early, as Charleston Southern will honor three seniors before the game.