Greenville, S.C. – Mary Beth Headley recorded her first double-double of the season, while
Ava Augustson provided 13 kills, to lift the Furman volleyball team its third straight win, and sixth consecutive over USC Upstate, on Tuesday evening with a 3-0 (25-20, 25-20, 26-24) sweep of the Spartans at Alley Gymnasium.
Furman improves to 5-1 on the season while USC Upstate drops to 4-2 overall.
Headley, a senior from Newnan, Ga., tallied a match high 14 kills, to go with 13 digs, to lead the Paladins offensively. Augustson contributed 13 kills and
Lindsay Walch provided nine. All three players concluded the match hitting over .300.
Ella Abraham dished out 33 assists while adding eight digs. Defensively,
Kennedy Seekford recorded a career high 14 digs and
Grainne McGrath and
Izzy Castelloe both totaled three blocks.
Ady O'Grady compiled a team high 13 kills on .346 hitting to lead the Spartans while Ashleigh Nicoll tallied nine kills and 10 digs. Kayla Spangler posted 30 assists. Nicoll was one of three players, along with Julia Gladhill and Caroline Cleveland, to collect 10 digs.
The match featured a total of 21 ties and 11 lead changes which saw Furman compile a .200 hitting percentage or better in all three sets highlighted by a .400 clip in the second frame.
Augustson hit .444 on five kills in the opening set that saw the score even eight times. USC Upstate took a 16-14 lead midway through the frame before the Paladins responded with an 11-4 run to close out the set. After the Spartans tied the score at 19-19, Furman recorded four straight points and each of the final two to capture the set 25-20.
The second set also featured six ties and a match high five lead changes with Augustson adding another six kills on .667 hitting. With the score tied at 7-7, the Paladins used a 10-5 run to break the frame open and lead 17-12 on Headley's service ace. USC Upstate made a late rally to cut its deficit down to 20-18 only to see Furman score five of the last seven points. A Spartan service error gave the Paladins the 25-20 triumph.
Headley and Walch both had six kills in the third set. Furman took an 18-13 lead midway through the frame, leading to a USC Upstate timeout, on an attack error. The Spartans came back courtesy of an 11-5 run and was at set point leading 24-23. The set would go into extras the following point after a service error. A service ace from Abraham and a USC Upstate attack error secured the 26-24 set win and 3-0 match victory.
The Paladins wrapped up the contest hitting .308 as a team, their third time this season reaching a mark of .300 or better, and held a 44-40 advantage in kills, 43-34 in assists, and 57-43 in digs.
Furman plays its final tournament of the season this weekend, September 8-9, traveling to Charlotte, N.C. to face Marshall, South Carolina State, and Queens (N.C.) at the Queens Fall Classic.
