CLEMSON, S.C. – Mary Beth Headley was one of six Paladins to have over six kills on Friday afternoon as her team high 10 lifted Furman to a 3-0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-20) sweep of the Kennesaw State Owls at Clemson's Jervey Gym.
Furman improves to 6-4 on the season while Kennesaw State drops to 3-8 overall.
Headley's 10 kills came on .304 hitting as the Paladins finished with a season best .361 clip.
Lindsay Walch contributed eight kills while
Izzy Castelloe added seven.
Ava Augustson,
Chandler Parker, and
Genevieve Perry all finished with six kills.
Eva Wheeler led the team with 16 assists and
Emily Navarro totaled 15 assists and seven digs.
Kennedy Seekford had a match high 16 digs.
Manu Johnsen led all players with 16 kills for the Owls and Leah Freeman contributed 10 digs. Kaeley Walz registered a double-double of 31 assists and 12 digs.
Furman got off to a slow start falling behind 10-3 to begin the first set after back-to-back attack errors. The Paladins responded with a 10-3 run of their own and evened the score at 13-13 following a service ace from Perry. The score would be tied five more times after that with the last coming at 20-20. Furman outscored Kennesaw State 5-1 to conclude the set. Walch and Augustson clinched the 25-21 win with two straight kills.
Four players had three or more kills during the second set led by Parker's four on .571 hitting. The Paladins opened on a 10-2 run and took an eight-point lead, their largest of the set, on a kill by Walch. The Owls cut Furman's lead down to 15-13 midway before the Paladins answered with an 8-3 run to go ahead, 23-16, off Walch's kill. Kennesaw State attempted a late rally, getting to within three points twice, before Parker gave Furman the 25-21 triumph. The Paladins compiled a .289 hitting percentage throughout the frame while limiting the Owls to just a .091 clip.
Furman would hit .515 as a team in the third set led by Headley's seven kills on .417 hitting. The set saw the score tied a total of 17 times with the last coming at 20-20. The Paladins trailed 19-18 late before ending the set on a 7-1 run. Furman scored the final six points with Headley recording four consecutive kills. Her last clinched the set, and match, for the Paladins.
Furman concluded the match holding a 44-38 advantage in kills and 40-34 in assists, while both teams finished with 39 digs.
The Paladins are back at Alley Gymnasium tomorrow afternoon to host Clemson at 2 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).
Fans are encouraged to arrive early as the match is expected to be at capacity. Seats will be available only on a first-come, first-serve basis, and Alley Gymnasium will not be allowed to exceed capacity for the event.
