Spartanburg, S.C. – Nicole Mack, Neci Harris and Courtney Hoffman all recorded double-digit kills on Saturday afternoon as the fifth-seeded Furman volleyball team was eliminated from the SoCon Volleyball Championship following a 3-2 (25-19, 22-25, 25-20, 26-28, 12-15) loss to the No. 1 seed Samford Bulldogs at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium.

Furman's season ends at 8-21 overall while Samford improves to 23-5.

Mack led the Paladins offensively with her 15^th double-double on 21 kills and 20 digs. Harris finished with 19 kills and a .457 hitting percentage. Hoffman posted a .324 hitting percentage to go with 12 kills and five assisted blocks. Katie Murphy recorded her eighth double-double of the season on 48 assists and a career-high 15 digs. Andrea Aceveda led all players with a game-high 26 digs. Madison Gresham set a new career-high with 18 digs.

Lauren Deaton (17 kills, 16 digs) and Corinne Meglic (53 assists, 16 digs) each compiled a double-double for the Bulldogs. Kelsi Hobbs compiled a match-high 23 kills while Sierra Rayzor added 13. Emily Naubert tallied 19 digs and Grace Tiesman 18.

Furman opened the first set scoring six consecutive points. Mack recorded three kills during that stretch with her last giving the Paladins a 6-0 lead. Samford rallied back with a 7-2 run and trailed 8-7 on a combination block. Furman responded with a 10-3 run of its own and went ahead 18-10 off a kill from Mack. The Bulldogs got as close as four points the remainder of the set when Hobbs made the score 21-17 with her kill. The Paladins picked up the final two points on kills by Gresham and Lydia Morris. Gresham gave Furman the 25-19 win with her kill.

Mack tied the score at 3-3 to begin the second set on her kill. Samford outscored the Paladins 15-8 after that and took an 18-11 lead off a Furman attack error. The Paladins fought back courtesy of a 10-3 run and evened the score at 21-21 on a kill by Harris. The Bulldogs outscored Furman 4-1 after that for the 25-22 victory.

The third set featured a total of 10 ties. The Paladins began the set on a 7-3 run and forced a Samford timeout following an attack error. The Bulldogs then scored five of the next six points to tie the score at 8-8. The score would be tied five more times after that with the last coming at 17-17 on a Samford attack error. Furman built a 24-18 lead when Gresham capped a 7-1 run with her kill. A Bulldog service error gave the Paladins the 25-20 win.

Samford held an early 9-5 lead in the fourth set after a kill from Rayzor. Furman answered with a 7-3 run to even the score at 12-12 on Mack's kill. With the score tied at 18-18, the Paladins outscored the Bulldogs 6-3 and sat at match point, 24-21, on a Samford attack error. The Bulldogs rallied back to tie the score at 24-24 and forced the set into extra points. The teams traded the next five points before Samford scored the final two to win, 28-26.

The Bulldogs started the fifth set scoring seven of the first 10 points and went ahead 7-3 on a solo block from Meglic. Furman came back to within one point three times beginning at 9-8 on a kill by Mack. Murphy kept the Paladins' deficit at one, 11-10, with her kill. Samford won the set, 15-12, and match, 3-2, following a kill by Tiesman.

Furman concluded the match with a .253 hitting percentage while leading in kills (70-65) and digs (91-82).