GREENSBORO, N.C. – Ava Augustson and Quinn Morrissey both registered double-doubles on Saturday evening to lift the Furman volleyball team to a 3-2 (21-25, 25-18, 25-22, 17-25, 15-12) victory over the UNC Greensboro Spartans in its Southern Conference opener from Fleming Gym.

Furman improves to 7-5 overall and 1-0 in the SoCon. With the loss, UNC Greensboro drops to 5-9 on the season and 0-2 in league play.

Augustson paced the Paladins with her first double-double of the season on 16 kills and 15 digs. Morrissey contributed her second double-double this year after finishing with 30 assists and a career high 13 digs. Grainne McGrath matched her career best of 14 kills while Chandler Parker added 10. Brooke Scheffler set new career highs with eight kills and 14 digs. Emily Navarro compiled 28 assists and seven digs. Defensively, Kennedy Seekford led all players with 25 digs and Genevieve Perry totaled five blocks.

Allie Sweet finished with a match high 21 kills to lead the Spartans offensively. McKenna Timmerman had a double-double of 11 kills and 16 digs. Izora Gragg dished out 45 assists and Chloe Nussbaum recorded 19 digs.

Furman fell behind early after dropping the first set, 25-21, which saw UNCG lead by seven points before a late rally put it within three points after Lily Barnhill's service ace made the score 23-20. A Paladin service error clinched the set for UNC Greensboro.

Furman responded with a 25-18 triumph in the second set before holding off the Spartans for a 25-22 win in the third.

The Paladins limited UNCG to -.029 hitting in the second set and opened on an 18-7 run. Mary Beth Headley hit .600 for Furman and had three kills along with Perry. McGrath collected six of her 14 kills in the third set which saw the Paladins break a 15-15 tie midway with seven consecutive points. Furman withstood a late Spartan run to win by three.

UNC Greensboro hit .345 in the fourth set with Sweet, Timmerman, and Emily Hanlon combining for 10 of its 13 kills. The Spartans never trailed during the frame, outscoring the Paladins 11-7 in the later stages for the 25-17 victory.

Furman started fast in the fifth set scoring six of the initial nine points and then took a 10-5 lead when Parker and Perry combined for a block. UNCG staged a late rally when a 6-3 run cut the Paladins' lead down to 13-11. McGrath clinched the match for Furman with her kill.

The Paladins concluded the contest hitting .192 as a team and held a 66-54 advantage in kills, 65-50 in assists, and 86-78 in digs.

Furman's match at East Tennessee State scheduled for tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. in Johnson City, Tenn., has been postponed due to the effects of Hurricane Helene. The match has been rescheduled for October 29 at 6 p.m.

The Paladins return to action next weekend, October 4-5, when they host Chattanooga and Western Carolina in SoCon action. Fans can follow the action on www.furmanpaladins.com via live stats. Saturday's match against Western Carolina is being streamed via paid subscription on ESPN+. Updates will also be posted on the Furman volleyball Twitter page (@FurmanVB).

Admission to all Paladin home matches this season is free of charge with first-come, first-serve seating.