Nov. 4, 2006

Box Score

Greenville, S.C. - Furman hit .322 as a team and out blocked Appalachian State 11-4 as the Paladins blanked the Mountaineers 3-0 (30-16, 30-25, 30-23) on Saturday afternoon at Alley Gym. Furman has now won seven of its last eight matches, with all seven wins coming by a 3-0 margin.

Chibuzo Aguocha led the Furman offensive attack with 21 kills and a .366 hitting percentage. Whitney Purser added 12 kills and Nicole Palazzo tallied eight kills on no hitting errors (.533).

Kim Tonkin recorded a game-high 16 defensive saves, and Courtney Stewardson tallied 39 set assists and three service aces for the Paladins. Palazzo recorded seven total blocks (one solo) and Aguocha and Kerry Wooten each added four total blocks for Furman.

Appalachian State was led by Dianna Thomas with 11 kills. Lorelle Rau added 31 set assists, and Cassie Engelgau tallied 14 digs. Amy Lewis tallied three total blocks for the Mountaineers.

Furman jumped out to an early lead in the first game. With the Paladins holding a 13-10 advantage, Furman won 12 of the next 15 points to take a 25-13 lead. Furman and Appalachian State traded points before the Paladins put away game one on a Palazzo kill. Furman hit .353 as a team to Appalachian State's -.094 hitting percentage. Purser led the way for Furman with four kills in the first frame, while Palazzo added three kills and four total blocks.

The teams battled back and forth in the second game, reaching a 22-21 Furman lead with neither team taking more than a three point lead. Furman rattled off five straight points on Tonkin's serve to take a 27-21 lead, and held on for a 3-25 game two victory. Aguocha led the Paladins with nine kills, and Stewardson contributed 17 set assists.

Appalachian State took the early lead in game three, jumping out to a quick 12-9 advantage. Furman took nine of the next ten points including two Aguocha kills and two Palazzo kills to take an 18-13 lead. Furman extended its lead to 29-19, before the Mountaineers won four straight points. An Aguocha kill ended the Appalachian State rally and clinched the match for the Paladins. Aguocha had nine more kills in the third game, and Purser added four kills for Furman.

With the win, Furman improves to 16-10 on the season, 12-3 in the Southern Conference. Appalachian State falls to 19-9 overall, 12-3 in conference play. Furman returns to action on Sunday afternoon as the Paladins play host to Davidson on Senior Day in Furman's regular season home finale.