CHATTANOOGA, TENN. - Freshman Bella Tolone recorded a double-double with 22 kills and 25 digs as No. 9 Furman topped No. 8 Chattanooga, 3-2 (27-25, 15-25, 15-25, 25-23, 15-11), in a five-set thriller Monday night in the opening round of the Southern Conference Championship at Maclellan Gym in Chattanooga, Tenn.

The Paladins (8-19, 2-14 SoCon), who avenged two regular season losses to the Mocs, improve to 8-19 overall and advance to face top-seeded Mercer in the quarterfinals on Friday, November 19, at 3 p.m. ET in Birmingham, Ala.  Chattanooga concludes its season at 11-19 overall and 7-9 in league play. 

"I am so happy for these girls and this team to have pulled off that win," said Paladin head coach Michelle Young following the victory.  "As we go farther into the tournament, we are going to have to execute more efficiently, but we are excited to head to Birmingham!"

Junior Sarah Turner and sophomore Ella Abraham also notched double-doubles for the Paladins.  Turner tallied a team-high 26 assists and 17 digs, while Abraham added 18 assists and 15 digs.  All told, five Paladins reached double digits in digs, including junior Andrea Aceveda, who posted 22, and sophomore Maya Mrus, who added 12.  Sophomore Kelsey Watkins led Furman with five blocks. 

For the Mocs, Chloe Bryan scored 16 kills, while Paige Gallentine posted a team-high 35 digs.  Sophia Bossong paced Chattanooga with 45 assists. 

Chattanooga maintained an early lead in set one before Furman reeled off six straight points to take a 13-9 lead, highlighted by two kills from sophomore Mikaela Schultz.  Furman maintained the lead at 18-13, but the Mocs went on a 6-1 run to tie the match at 19-all.  The teams then battled through five ties to reach 25-apiece, and kills by sophomore Sydney Tanner and Abraham gave the Paladins the 27-25 set win.

The teams stayed within two points to open set two, with Chattanooga leading 10-8, before the Mocs scored three-consecutive points to begin to pull away.  Furman cut the deficit to one at 13-12 off a kill by senior Neci Harris and consecutive Moc errors, but Chattanooga concluded the set on a 12-3 run to even the slate, 25-15. 

Furman and Chattanooga were tied at 9-9 in set three, then the Mocs put together an 11-3 run to lead, 20-12.  Chattanooga scored five of the next eight points to win the set, 25-15, and take a 2-1 advantage.

After the break, the Mocs jumped out to a quick 5-1 lead in set four, but the Paladins wouldn't go away quietly, as Furman tied the set at 9-9.  The teams remained tied at 15-all before Furman's Tolone, who hit .538 in the set, scored three-straight kills to fuel an 8-2 run and give the Paladins a 23-17 lead.  Chattanooga scored six-consecutive points to tie the match at 23-all before Furman claimed the set, 25-23, off a kill by Harris and a Moc error, evening the set score at 2-all.

In the decisive set five, Furman never trailed.  After a 2-2 tie, the Paladins posted a 5-1 run with kills by Tanner and Dunn and multiple Chattanooga errors, to gain control at 7-3.  Furman maintained the four-point lead at 12-8, and the Mocs made a final run to cut the deficit to 13-11, but two final kills from Tolone gave the Paladins a 15-11 win.