Greenville, S.C. – Ava Augustson had a match high 14 kills, while
Sarah Turner registered her fourth consecutive double-double, to lead the Furman volleyball team to a 3-0 (25-14, 25-22, 25-21) victory over the USC Upstate Spartans, Thursday evening inside Alley Gymnasium.
Furman improves to 4-5 on the season while USC Upstate drops to 2-9 overall.
Augustson and
Genevieve Perry combined for 25 kills to lead the Paladins offensively while both hit over .360 for the match.
Lauren Haynes provided seven digs and six kills while
Grainne McGrath added five kills. Turner, the reigning SoCon Setter of the Week, turned in her fourth straight double-double after registering 30 assists and 10 digs. Defensively,
Andrea Aceveda paced the team with 14 digs.
Ashleigh Nicoll and Nikki Deslatte led the Spartans with nine kills apiece and Jaci Drinnon finished with a match high 21 digs. Emma McElveen and Savannah Page combined for 28 assists.
Furman hit .406 in the first set connecting on 15 kills while accumulating only two errors. Led by a combined nine kills from Augustson and Perry, the Paladins opened the frame scoring five of the first seven points capped by an Augustson kill. USC Upstate managed to trim its deficit down to 7-5 until Furman responded with four straight points to go in front 11-5 on Aceveda's service ace. The four straight points sparked a 10-4 run for the Paladins, who went ahead 17-9 when Perry recorded a kill. Furman led by as many as 11 points and capped the set with a Spartan service error for the 25-14 victory.
The second set featured a total of eight ties with six coming within the first 20 points. With the score tied at 10-10, the Paladins used an 8-3 run to lead 18-13 and saw Augustson tally two kills and a service ace. USC Upstate fought back to within one, 18-17, but Furman answered by scoring five of the next eight points and led 23-20 off Augustson's kill. Haynes secured the 25-22 win with her kill. Augustson totaled five kills in the second set on .500 hitting.
The teams traded the initial eight points of the third set before the Paladins went on a 7-1 run, highlighted by two kills and two service aces from Haynes, to lead 11-5. Perry and
Natalie Dunn combined for a block to give Furman its largest lead of the set at 19-10. The Spartans attempted a late rally with an 11-5 run and cut the Paladins' lead down to 24-21, forcing Furman into a timeout. Augustson secured the set, and match, the following play with her kill. Perry contributed six kills in the third set and posted a .750 hitting percentage as the Paladins compiled a .302 mark as a team.
Furman hit a season high .286 for the contest and forced USC Upstate into 18 attack errors.
The Paladins remain at home Friday evening to host Marshall at 6 p.m. on ESPN+. Fans can also follow the action on www.furmanpaladins.com via live stats. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased on www.furmanpaladins.com or at the main entrance of Alley Gymnasium.
