Birmingham, Ala. – Courtney Hoffman was one of three Paladins to have double-digit kills on Monday evening, but it was not enough as the Furman volleyball team fell 3-2 (25-23, 18-25, 12-25, 25-19, 9-15) to the Samford Bulldogs in SoCon action from the Pete Hanna Center.
Furman drops to 4-8 on the season and 4-8 in league play, while Samford improves to 11-1 overall and 11-1 in the conference.
Hoffman, a redshirt-senior from Greenwood, S.C., paced the Paladins offensively with 16 kills on .256 hitting, and was joined by freshmen
Sydney Tanner and
Mikaela Schultz. Tanner set a new career-high with 12 kills and Schultz added 11 kills on a team-leading .259 hitting. Senior
Katie Murphy and freshman
Ella Abraham combined for 43 assists and 14 digs. Murphy compiled 24 assists and eight digs, while Abraham added 19 assists and six digs. For the third time in four matches, sophomore
Andrea Aceveda finished with 20 digs. Freshman
Maya Mrus totaled a career-high 19 digs and sophomore
Natalie Dunn provided 14.
Lauren Deaton led the Bulldogs with a double-double on 20 kills and 10 digs. Kenya McQuirter contributed 14 kills. Corinne Meglic also recorded a double-double with 48 assists and 20 digs. Deaton and Meglic were part of five players along with Emily Naubert (19), Sarah Hayes Farley (15) and Andie Salasky (12) to register 10 or more digs.
Samford opened the match on an 8-2 run in the first set after Sierra Rayzor connected on back-to-back kills. Furman responded with a 9-6 run and trailed 14-11 on Hoffman's kill. A Paladin attack error several plays later would extend the Bulldogs advantage out to 21-16. Furman rallied with seven consecutive points, behind the serving of Schultz, to take its first lead of the set at 23-21. After Samford scored the next two points, Hoffman won the set for the Paladins, 25-23, with two kills.
The second set featured a total of 11 ties with all of them coming within the first 26 points. Dunn evened the score for Furman at 13-13 midway following her kill. The Bulldogs outscored the Paladins 12-5 the remainder of the set for the 25-18 victory capped by a Furman service error.
Samford used a 4-1 run to begin the third set to take an early 11-2 lead in the frame. The Bulldogs held a double-digit lead for a majority of the set and earned the 25-12 win after Rayzor's service ace.
The Paladins responded by taking the fourth set 25-19 and tying the match at 2-2. Neither team led by more than two points during the first 18 points before a Mrus kill and Schultz service ace put Furman ahead 12-8. Following back-to-back points by Samford, the Paladins answered with three of the next four points and took a 15-11 lead when Tanner recorded a kill. Furman broke the set open courtesy of a late 8-3 run, including a string of six straight points, to sit at set point, 24-16, after a kill from Schultz. The Bulldogs scored three consecutive points before Hoffman sealed the win with her kill.
Samford raced out to an early six-point lead in the fifth set, taking a 7-1 lead when Rayzor posted a kill. The Paladins got as close as three points, 8-5, on Hoffman's kill. Dunn kept Furman within four, 10-6, with her kill. The Bulldogs closed out the set scoring five of the last eight points to win, 15-9, and secure the match, 3-2, on a combination block from Briana Holmes and Sinclaire Green.
The Paladins close out their road schedule next week, March 21-22, with two matches at Wofford.
