Nov. 21, 2009

Box Score

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Defending Southern Conference Tournament champion and No. 1 South seed Furman extended its winning streak to 19 matches with a 3-0 sweep of the No. 2 North seed Appalachian State in the first semifinal match of the 2009 Southern Conference Volleyball Championship Saturday afternoon in Alley Gymnasium on the campus of Furman University.

The Paladins posted a .353 attack percentage for the match, led by league Freshman of the Year Caroline Adams who hit .533 and added nine kills. Chandler Ambrester notched 14 kills and four blocks for the Paladins, while Natalie Braun had 12 kills and a block. Kelsey Salava, the conference player of the year, tallied 42 assists.

Furman won the first set 25-12. The Paladins hit .565 in the set and tallied 14 kills, including five from Braun. Furman also recorded two service aces and four blocks.

The second set proved to be much closer with three ties and two lead changes. Furman led by as many as five points in the early going, but Appalachian State battled back to tie it at 18 on an error by the Paladins. The Mountaineers took the lead on a Maggie Seeds kill and increased their advantage to as many as three points before Furman stormed back. The Paladins tied the match on a kill by Caroline Adams and took the lead on an attack by Braun. Adams struck again with a kill to give the Paladins the match 26-24.

Furman controlled the third and final match, eventually winning 25-15. Appalachian State was able to pull within three points at 16-13 before the Paladins went on a run to put the set away. A kill by Adams set up match point for Furman and a Mountaineer attack error clinched the match and a trip to the championship for the Paladins.

"I am really happy with how well our girls executed and were very calm under pressure," said Furman head coach Michelle Young. "We know we will have a tough opponent tomorrow, so we need to refocus and execute like we did today for tomorrow's match."

Furman (26-3, 16-0 SoCon) will play the College of Charleston in the championship match tomorrow at 2 p.m. in Alley Gymnasium.