Greenville, S.C. – Mary Beth Headley's double-double paced the Furman volleyball team to a 3-0 (27-25, 26-24, 25-22) win over the UNC Greensboro Spartans in Southern Conference action, Saturday evening inside Alley Gymnasium.
Furman picks up its first SoCon win of the season, improving to 5-13 overall and 1-7 in the conference. UNC Greensboro drops to 8-13 on the year and 2-6 in league play.
Headley led all players offensively with 18 kills and collected her fifth double-double of the season after recording 10 digs.
Grainne McGrath contributed seven kills while
Ava Augustson and
Lauren Haynes both had six.
Sarah Turner provided 23 assists and nine digs, and
Ella Abraham dished out 20 assists. Defensively, Haynes finished with a team high 16 digs.
Daija Jackson and Taylor Robertson both had nine kills to lead the Spartans while Robertson also totaled 10 digs. Gabriela McHugh tallied 29 assists and seven digs. Ella Voegele and Mya Wood registered 17 and 13 digs, respectively.
The Paladins trailed throughout the first set with UNCG holding a seven-point lead late when a Furman attack error extended its advantage to 21-14. The Paladins responded with a 9-2 run and came back to tie the score at 23-23 following a UNC Greensboro attack error. The teams traded the following five points with a Spartan attack error putting Furman in front 26-25. The Paladins captured the set on the following play after another UNCG attack error.
UNC Greensboro started the second set recording seven of the initial 11 points before Furman answered back with a 6-1 run, capped by three straight kills from Augustson and
Chandler Parker, to lead 10-8. The Spartans would go on a 13-6 run of their own to go ahead 21-16, leading to a Paladin timeout. Once again, Furman rallied back with an 8-3 run and saw McGrath even the score at 24-24 with her kill. A kill from Haynes and a UNCG attack error gave the Paladins the 26-24 win.
The third set saw the score tied a total of seven times with four coming in a stretch of seven points. Furman scored the first three points as part of a 4-1 run, but UNC Greensboro used a 9-3 run to go in front 10-7. UNCG would lead 16-13 midway only to see the Paladins tie the score three plays later highlighted by back-to-back service aces from
Andrea Aceveda. The score sat tied twice more after that with the last coming at 19-19. Furman closed out the frame scoring six of the final nine points to secure the 25-22 set victory and 3-0 match win. Headley compiled three of the Paladins' final four kills and
Kelsey Watkins secured the victory with her kill.
Furman concluded the match with eight total blocks led by four from Watkins (three assisted, one solo). McGrath (two solo, one assisted) and
Sydney Tanner (two assisted, one solo) both added three blocks.
The Paladins travel to Charleston, S.C. on Wednesday, October 19 to face The Citadel at 6 p.m. from McAlister Field House.
