Charlotte, N.C. – The Furman volleyball team opened play at the Queens Fall Classic on Friday by splitting a pair of matches against the Marshall Thundering Herd and South Carolina State Lady Bulldogs at the Levine Center.
Furman (6-2) began the day dropping a 3-1 decision to Marshall before sweeping South Carolina State in three sets.
The Paladins conclude tournament play on Saturday afternoon when they take on tournament host Queens (N.C.) at 2:30 p.m. Fans can follow the action on www.furmanpaladins.com via live stats. The match is being streamed via paid subscription on ESPN+. Updates will also be posted on the Furman volleyball Twitter page (@FurmanVB).
Match 1 – Furman 1, Marshall 3
Essence Clerkley and Kylee Stokes both had 17 kills to lead Marshall to a 3-1 (22-25, 25-14, 21-25, 21-25) victory over Furman in the first match of the Queens Fall Classic.
Three Paladins registered double-doubles during the opener in
Ella Abraham,
Lauren Haynes, and
Mary Beth Headley. Headley led Furman with her second straight double-double of 15 kills and 17 digs while Abraham collected her first of the year on a career high 49 assists and tying her career best of 15 digs. Haynes came off the bench to post her first double-double this year with 12 kills and 15 digs. Defensively,
Kennedy Seekford set a new career high after leading all players with 32 digs.
Clerkley and Stokes were two of three Thundering Herd to record double-digit kills along with Brynn Brown, who had a triple-double of 46 assists, 11 kills, and 10 digs. Peyton Neal provided a team high 26 digs.
Marshall captured the opening set 25-22 before the Paladins responded in set two with a 25-14 triumph. Furman posted a .277 hitting percentage in the frame while limiting the Thundering Herd to just a .060 clip. The Paladins began the set on an 8-2 run and built their lead to 12-4 on Haynes' service ace. Marshall rallied back with an 8-3 run and cut its deficit to 15-12, leading to a Furman timeout. The Paladins answered by outscoring the Thundering Herd 10-2 to claim the 25-14 win.
Marshall followed by winning sets three and four by identical 25-21 scores.
Furman concluded the match hitting .228 as a team highlighted by five players compiling a .200 percentage or better.
Match 2 – South Carolina State 0, Furman 3
Ava Augustson finished with a match high 12 kills to lead the Paladins in a 3-0 (25-19, 25-17, 25-12) sweep over South Carolina State.
Augustson compiled a .333 hitting percentage while
Izzy Castelloe registered eight kills, and Haynes and
Grainne McGrath six apiece. Abraham dished out 36 assists to help Furman hit .288 as a team. Seekford totaled 11 digs and four service aces.
Kiyah Felder had a team best 10 kills for the Lady Bulldogs. Kaia Barnett finished with a double-double of 19 assists and 12 digs. Defensively, Miya Benson also tallied 10 digs.
South Carolina State scored six of the first nine points of the first set before Furman used an 11-4 run to go in front 14-10 on McGrath's solo block. The Lady Bulldogs managed to tie the score at 17-17 but the Paladins would end the set on an 8-2 run for the 25-19 victory. Abraham and Castelloe secured the win with a combination block.
Augustson would hit .556 to go with five kills in the second set as Furman scored the first eight points capped by kills from McGrath and
Lindsay Walch. South Carolina State rallied back to even the score at 16-16 midway. The Paladins answered by finishing the set on a 9-1 run to win 25-17. Castelloe had three kills throughout the run and Augustson captured the frame with her kill.
Furman never trailed in the third set and compiled 17 kills on .469 hitting. The Paladins broke the set open courtesy of a 14-2 run and held an 18-5 advantage midway when
Sydney Tanner connected on a kill. Furman led by as many as 13 points throughout the set and claimed the 25-12 triumph off a bad set.
The Paladins held a 43-26 advantage in kills for the match while also leading 38-25 in assists and 49-48 in digs.
