Greenville, S.C. – Kenya McQuirter had a match high 21 kills and led four Samford players in double figures as the Bulldogs defeated Furman 3-1 (25-16, 24-26, 25-18, 25-14) in Southern Conference volleyball action, Saturday afternoon at Alley Gymnasium.
Furman drops to 4-12 on the season and 0-6 in conference play. With the win, Samford improves to 8-9 overall and 3-2 in the league.
Mary Beth Headley paced the Paladins offensively finishing with 10 kills to go with six digs and two assisted blocks.
Sarah Turner provided her team-leading seventh double-double of the season on 16 assists and 14 digs.
Lauren Haynes contributed eight kills while
Genevieve Perry and
Grainne McGrath both had seven.
Ella Abraham posted 15 assists and nine digs.
Andrea Aceveda also registered 13 digs.
McQuirter led all players with her 21 kills for the Bulldogs and was joined by Gracie Lynn Butler (17) and Kate Wonus (10). Lauren Deaton and Kayla Keshock both contributed double-doubles. Deaton tallied 14 kills and 16 digs while Keshock had 39 assists and 10 digs. Samantha Horn totaled 22 assists and Kate Morgan 16 digs.
Samford opened the first set on a 6-2 run before Furman cut its deficit down to 9-8 following an attack error.
Morgan Cobb kept the Paladins within two points several plays later when her kill made the score 11-9. The Bulldogs broke the set open courtesy of an 11-6 run to hold a 22-15 advantage, forcing Furman into a timeout. Following the timeout, Headley connected on a kill. Samford recorded the last three points for the 25-16 win.
The second set featured seven ties and six lead changes with both teams trading the first 22 points. With the score tied at 11-11, the Bulldogs went on an 8-2 run to go in front 19-13. The Paladins responded with an 11-5 run of their own to even the score at 24-24 capped by Headley's kill. Perry followed the next play with a kill and
Chandler Parker secured the victory for Furman on her kill.
The Paladins started the third set scoring five of the first seven points to hold a 5-2 lead after a Samford attack error. The Bulldogs would retake the lead, but Haynes and McGrath cut Furman's deficit down to 8-7 with their combination block. Samford broke the set open courtesy of a 12-6 run to hold a 20-13 advantage. The Paladins would only get to within six points the remainder of the set. The Bulldogs would go on to win 25-18.
Haynes trimmed Samford's lead down to 3-2 to begin the fourth set before the Bulldogs responded with three consecutive points. Furman came back with four of the next six points and trailed 8-6 when McGrath recorded a service ace. A Samford service error kept the Paladins within four points, 14-10, midway. Furman would be limited to just four points the remainder of the set as the Bulldogs outscored it 8-3 following a timeout for the 25-14 set victory and 3-1 match win.
The Paladins concluded the match with six total blocks led by four assisted from McGrath and three assisted by Cobb. Perry also contributed two assisted blocks.
Furman continues its four-match homestand next weekend, October 14-15, hosting Western Carolina and UNC Greensboro.
Tickets are $5 and can be purchased on www.furmanpaladins.com or at the main entrance of Alley Gymnasium. Tickets for Furman students are free with their student ID.
