Chattanooga, Tenn. – Annie Bierman turned in the first 20/20 game of her career, but it wasn't enough, as the Paladins fell 3-1 (25-12, 23-25, 15-25, 22-25) to Chattanooga on Saturday. The win, coupled with a UNCG loss, moved Chattanooga into sole possession of first place in the SoCon standings with a 22-15 overall record and 11-3 SoCon record, while the loss drops the Paladins into a tie with UNCG for second-place in the SoCon standings with a 16-8 overall record and 10-4 SoCon record.

Bierman put down a team-high 21 kills while adding 21 digs for the first 20/20 game of her career. Jamila Johnson was the only other Paladin with double-digit kills (13), while Jo Wilks dished out 51 assists. Furman actually put down more kills than the Mocs (57-52), but Chattanooga out-hit the Paladins .244-.212.

Furman opened up a 17-5 lead in set one, en route to a 25-12 first-set win. The Paladins hit .485 in the first set, putting down 17 kills with just 1 error. The teams traded points early in the second set until Chattanooga grabbed an 18-12 lead. The Paladins came roaring back, however, using a 7-0 run to take a 19-18 advantage and force a Mocs timeout.

Out of the timeout, the teams again traded points until Furman used a Chattanooga error to take a 23-22 lead. The Mocs would not go away quietly, however, rattling off three-straight points to take set two, 25-23, to tie the match at one.

With the score tied at eight in set three, Chattanooga used an 11-0 run to open up a 19-8 lead over the Paladins en route to a 25-15 set three win for a 2-1 match lead. The teams then traded points to open set four, until the Paladins used a Carris Campbell kill to take a 12-11 lead. Chattanooga came roaring back, however, using an 8-0 run to take a 19-12 lead. The Mocs then grabbed match point at 24-16, but it was the Paladins who wouldn't go away quietly, rattling off six-straight points to cut the deficit to two at 24-22. Chattanooga held off the Paladin rally, however, taking set four 25-22, for a 2-1 match win.

Furman is back in action on Wednesday night, hosting Wofford in Alley Gym in a 6:00 p.m. matchup.

Chandler Carver, Sports Information