GREENVILLE, S.C. – The Furman volleyball team started its 2024 season on Friday afternoon with a 3-1 (21-25, 16-25, 25-20, 13-25) loss to the Charleston Southern Buccaneers during the Furman Invite at Alley Gymnasium.
Furman falls to 0-1 on the season while Charleston Southern opens its year 1-0. The Paladins return to action Friday evening when they host UTRGV at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN+. Fans can follow the action on www.furmanpaladins.com via live stats. Updates will also be posted on the Furman volleyball Twitter page (@FurmanVB). Admission is free of charge with first-come, first-serve seating.
The Buccaneers received three double-doubles from Triston Sutton, Sophia Kluska, and Ilaria Durante. Kluska paced Charleston Southern offensively with 13 kills and added 13 digs, and Emily Struckmeyer had 10 kills. Durante totaled 16 assists and 10 digs, and Sutton contributed 15 assists and 10 digs.
Chandler Parker and
Ava Augustson both led Furman with nine kills each and
Genevieve Perry recorded eight.
Emily Navarro (19) and
Eva Wheeler (16) combined for 35 assists. Defensively,
Kennedy Seekford registered a match high 22 digs. Augustson and
Ashley Stein, who was playing in her first collegiate match, both finished with 10 digs.
The Paladins led 21-20 late in the first set when Perry connected on her third kill of the match. Furman had trailed 16-15 midway before scoring six of the next 10 points. Charleston Southern closed out the set on a 5-0 run to win 25-21.
The Buccaneers posted a .231 hitting percentage in the second set and opened the frame on a 14-4 run. The Paladins got as close as 18-14 when Augustson and Perry combined for a block and capped a 10-4 run. Charleston Southern held Furman to just two points the rest of the way and captured the set 25-16.
Furman responded in the third set with a 25-20 triumph to cut its deficit to 2-1. The Paladins limited the Buccaneers to just .073 hitting throughout the frame while five different players had a kill and capitalized off six Charleston Southern service errors. The Buccaneers led early, 11-9, before Furman came back with seven consecutive points behind the serving of Wheeler. The Paladins took their largest lead of the set, 24-17, when Parker put them at set point with her kill. Charleston Southern scored three straight points before Perry captured the set following a kill.
The Buccaneers began the fourth set on a 7-1 run and increased their advantage out to 13-5 following a Furman timeout. Charleston Southern would extend its lead to 21-9 late before picking up the 25-13 win to secure the 3-1 match victory.
The Paladins concluded the match hitting .099 overall and recorded seven total blocks.
