Box Score GREENVILLE, S.C. – Senior Natalie Braun recorded 11 kills and 16 digs for her 15th double-double of the season as the Furman volleyball team extended its winning streak to five matches with a 3-0 (25-85, 25-16, 25-20) win over Appalachian State Saturday at Alley Gymnasium in Greenville, S.C.
The Paladins jumped out to a 7-1 lead in the opening set to quickly gain control of the match. Furman stretched the advantage to seven at 14-7 and held on for a 25-18 victory.
Set two proved to be much closer at the beginning, as the teams battled through seven ties to settle at 10-all before the Paladins went on an 8-2 run to break open the set, 18-12. Appalachian State cut the advantage to four at 19-15, but Furman clinched six out of the last seven points for a 25-16 set win.
Following a 3-3 tie in the third set, Furman scored four-straight points, including an ace from Braun, to lead 7-3. The Mountaineers came within one of the Paladins at 11-10, before Furman reeled off three-straight winners to regain the momentum. The Paladins were up by four at 19-15 before Appalachian State scored three-straight to again cut the lead to one, but Furman claimed six out of eight of the match's final points for a 25-20 set victory.
"It was important for us to win this match in three sets," said Braun following the victory. "We lost a little bit of our aggression toward the middle of the match, but we came back and everyone stepped up the play for the win."
Junior Elle Ross posted 13 digs in the win, and freshman Jo Wilks added 30 assists. Senior Caroline Adams led the Paladins with a .375 attack percentage, while collecting eight kills and a team-high six blocks. Junior Amanda Komisarow added nine digs, and fellow junior Christina Dorismond contributed seven kills.
Dalton Tolliver led Appalachian State (5-17, 1-7 SoCon) with 16 kills, while Courtney Rhein collected 16 digs. Lauren Brown had a team-high 16 assists for the Mountaineers.
Furman (17-5, 6-2 SoCon) begins a three-match road swing next Friday at UNCG at 7 p.m.
