Greenville, N.C. – The Furman volleyball team kicked off its 2022 season on Friday going 1-1 against the East Carolina Pirates and Norfolk State Spartans during day one of the Pirate Invitational from ECU's Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum.
The Paladins (1-1) began the day by dropping a 3-1 (26-24, 16-25, 16-25, 23-25) decision to host East Carolina before responding with a 3-1 (25-23, 25-16, 14-25, 25-16) victory over Norfolk State.
Match 1 – East Carolina 3, Furman 1
Angeles Alderete and Julianna Askew both collected double-doubles to lead the Pirates to a 3-1 win over Furman in the season opener for both teams.
Playing in her first collegiate match for the Paladins, Lauren Haynes recorded her first career double-double after compiling 13 digs and a team high 11 kills. Genevieve Perry and Mary Beth Headley, also making their Furman debuts, registered six and five kills, respectively. Sarah Turner and Ella Abraham combined to dish out 32 assists. Andrea Aceveda led the Paladins defensively with 17 digs.
Alderete paced East Carolina with 16 kills and 12 digs while Askew finished with 23 assists and 10 digs. Izzy Marinelli added 13 kills and Payton Evenstad 20 assists. Kenzie Beckham registered 22 digs and Kellyn Trowse 11.
The opening set was highlighted by 18 ties and seven lead changes, while Haynes totaled five digs and four kills, as Furman scored four of the last six points to win 26-24. Neither team led by more than two points throughout the set with the Pirates holding a 22-21 advantage late on a kill from Sophia Kruzko. Haynes put the Paladins at set points, 23-23, following her kill only to see East Carolina respond the following point. Furman captured the set on a Pirate service error and service ace by Turner.
The Pirates opened the second set on an 8-2 run and led by as many as 13 points when a kill by Marinelli put the score at 22-9. The Paladins scored three out of four points late to cut their deficit down to 24-16 after Grainne McGrath's kill. East Carolina won the set the following play on a service error.
Furman trailed 7-6 early in the third set when Headley connected on a kill, but the Pirates responded by going on an 11-5 run to go ahead 18-11 following a Paladin ball handling error. East Carolina took its largest lead of the set at 23-14 when Beckham posted back-to-back service aces. Askew's service ace secured the 25-16 triumph.
The teams split the first 18 points of the fourth set before an ECU service error put Furman in front 10-9. The Pirates came back with an 11-4 run to hold a 20-14 lead when Brittany Wood recorded a kill. The Paladins made a late charge courtesy of a 7-1 run to tie the score at 21-21 capped by a combination block from Perry and Natalie Dunn. Headley, Perry and Haynes combined for four kills during that stretch. Furman stayed within one point three times after that before an attack error gave East Carolina the 25-23 set victory and 3-1 match win.
Match 2 – Furman 3, Norfolk State 1
Ava Augustson had the first double-double of her career with 19 kills and 10 digs to lead the Paladins to a 3-1 victory over Norfolk State.
McGrath followed with 11 kills on .381 hitting while Abraham and Turner combined for 36 assists. Haynes added 16 digs.
Shonte Seale led the Spartans with 16 kills while Paola Matos recorded 13. Sydney McCree dished out 35 assists and Nicole Rodriguez compiled 22 digs.
The teams traded the opening 10 points of the first set before Furman used a 13-7 run to go in front 18-12 midway when Haynes connected on a kill. Norfolk State answered with a 9-4 run of its own to trail 22-21, forcing the Paladins into a timeout. The Spartans got to within one point two more times, but McGrath's kill gave Furman the 25-23 edge.
Augustson and McGrath combined for eight kills in the second set as the Paladins jumped out to an 8-1 lead to open the frame. Norfolk State cut its deficit down to 13-8 when Seale capped a 7-5 stretch with a kill. Furman broke the set open with a 6-1 run and later extended its lead to 23-13 on McGrath's kill. Augustson and Chandler Parker collected back-to-back kills to give the Paladins the 25-16 victory.
Norfolk State jumped out to an 8-2 lead early in the third set, but the Paladins rallied back to cut the deficit to one point at 8-7. The Spartans then put together a 7-2 run to lead, 15-9, but kills from McGrath and Augustson kept the Paladins in the match at 15-11. A final 10-3 rally by Norfolk State put the third set out of reach for Furman, 25-14.
The Spartans again built an early lead, 6-2, in set four, but Furman put together kills from Augustson with a service ace by Abraham to tie the match at 6-all. Following another tie at 7-apiece, the Paladins went on a tear and never trailed again. Furman scored five-consecutive points with a kill from Augustson, coupled with a service ace from McGrath and multiple Spartan errors to gain control at 19-12. Augustson, who tallied seven kills in the set, and Headley posted kills to seal the 25-16 victory.
The Paladins conclude the tournament Saturday with a 1 p.m. match up versus Towson. Fans can follow the action via live stats on www.furmanpaladins.com.
