Cullowhee, N.C. – Behind seven third-set aces, Furman volleyball downed Western Carolina, 3-0 (25-17, 25-12, 25-21), on Wednesday night in Cullowhee, N.C. The win moves Furman to 9-4 on the season and 3-0 in the SoCon, while the loss drops Western Carolina to 7-12, 1-2 in the SoCon. 

Christen Sikora and Taina Joseph each led Furman with 10 kills, while Annie Bierman recorded a team-high 14 digs. Jo Wilks dished out 39 assists and recorded a team-high four aces. Furman hit .271 for the match, while the Paladins held the Catamounts to a .068 hitting percentage.

Furman opened up an early 6-2 lead in set one, but Western Carolina used back-to-back kills to cut the lead to two, but Furman used back-to-back kills of its own to stretch the lead back out at 8-4. The teams traded runs and Furman opened up its largest lead at 13-6, but Western Carolina continued to battle, cutting the lead to three at 13-10. The Paladins held on to the lead, however, pushing it back to five at 17-12, forcing the Catamounts to call their first timeout of the set. Out of the timeout, Furman matched its largest lead of the set at 21-14, prompting Western Carolina to take its final timeout of the set. Out of the timeout, the Catamounts cut the lead to five at 21-16, but Furman ended the set on a 4-1 run to win it 25-17 and take a 1-0 lead in the match.

The Paladins again opened an early lead, this time at 8-4. Furman continued to control the momentum, using an 8-1 run to open up a 16-5 lead over the Catamounts. Western Carolina battled back to cut the lead to eight at 17-8, but Furman continued to add to its lead, opening up a 23-12 lead and forcing Western Carolina to call its final timeout of the set. Out of the timeout, Furman used back-to-back kills by Christen Sikora and Amelia Bohlander to take the set, 25-12, for a 2-0 match lead.

Furman continued to push the momentum, doubling-up Western Carolina early at 10-5, then again at 12-6, forcing the Catamounts to call a timeout. Out of the timeout, it was Western Carolina who used a 6-2 run to cut the lead to two at 14-12. The Paladins pushed the lead back to four at 17-13, but the Catamounts used three-straight points to cut the lead to one at 17-16. The teams then traded points until back-to-back aces by Jo Wilks gave Furman a 23-19 lead and forced Western Carolina to call a timeout. Out of the timeout, Western Carolina cut the lead to three at 24-21, but a Western Carolina error gave Furman the set, 25-21, and the match, 3-0.

Furman is back in action on Friday night, traveling to Charleston, S.C., for a 6:00 pm match-up with The Citadel.