JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. -- Brianna Cantrell hit .405 with 17 kills and 10 digs to lead East Tennessee State past Furman, 3-1 (25-13, 25-19, 19-25, 25-10), Friday night at Brooks Gymnasium in Johnson City, Tenn.
With the win, the Bucs improved to 12-5 overall and remained undefeated at 6-0 in Southern Conference play. The Paladins, who suffered their first league loss of the season, dropped to 13-4 overall and 4-1 versus SoCon opponents.
Down 2-0 at the break, Furman rallied to take the third set, 25-19. The Bucs built a quick 3-0 lead, but the Paladins answered with kills from senior Grainne McGrath and sophomore Ashley Stein, coupled with consecutive ETSU errors, to tie the match at 4-all. The teams traded points to land at 9-apiece before Furman put together a five-point run, ignited by consecutive kills from McGrath, to take a 14-9 advantage. A 7-4 Paladin run extended the margin to 21-13, but two service aces kept the Bucs in the set. Following a Furman timeout, kills by freshman Amber Watson and junior Lindsay Walch gave the Paladins match point, and a final kill from McGrath sealed the victory. ETSU claimed the fourth set, 25-10.
Sophomore Tennyson Gorman hit .583 with nine kills and three blocks for the Paladins, while junior Kennedy Seekford posted a team-high 18 digs. Junior Emily Navarro tallied 20 assists, and senior Eva Wheller added 17 assists.
For the Bucs, Makayla Bays registered a double-double with 15 kills and 12 digs, and Whitley Rammel hit .524 with 14 kills. Melanie Morris led the team with 17 digs, and Bailey Gohlke had 35 assists. Gianna Blair led all players with four block assists.
Furman will take on Wofford Saturday at 7 p.m. in Spartanburg.
Minuteman Press is the Official Sponsor of Furman Athletics press releases.
Â
