BIRMINGHAM, ALA. – Ashley Stein recorded a team high 11 kills and Furman hit over .400 for the first time in 10 years Thursday evening as the Paladins swept the Samford Bulldogs 3-0 (25-22, 25-12, 25-16) in Southern Conference volleyball action inside the Pete Hanna Center.

Furman, who completes the regular season series sweep of the Bulldogs for the second time in three seasons, improves to 15-6 overall and 6-3 in the SoCon. With the loss, Samford drops to 8-12 on the season and 3-6 in conference play.

Stein led a string of five players who registered seven or more kills in the victory. The reigning SoCon Defensive Player of the Week turned in 11 kills on .476 hitting while adding six digs and two blocks. Tennyson Gorman and Lindsay Walch both hit over .500 and compiled nine kills. Ashtan Dodson contributed eight kills and 11 digs, and Kacie Moore provided seven kills. Emily Navarro (22) and Eva Wheeler (13) combined for 35 assists. Kennedy Seekford finished with a match high 22 digs and dished out five assists.

Kaleigh Meritt led all players with 15 kills for the Bulldogs. Shea Bruntmyer totaled 18 assists and Tatelyn Brandsma 11. Amelia Johnston had a team best 14 digs.

The Paladins never trailed in the opening set, hitting .436 en route to the 25-22 triumph. Walch led the team with five kills on .714 hitting, Navarro added eight assists, and Seekford 10 digs. Furman started on an 8-3 run and built 17-11 lead midway on Gorman's kill. The Paladins held a 23-17 advantage before Samford rallied back to within two, 24-22, to cap a 5-1 run. Furman clinched the set the following play when Izzy Castelloe connected on a kill.

The second set saw the Paladins compile a .483 hitting percentage while limiting the Bulldogs to an .057 clip. Gorman led the offense with four kills while three others tallied three apiece. Navarro and Wheeler both had five assists and Seekford provided five digs. The opening 14 points featured seven ties and four lead changes when, with the score even at 7-7, Furman broke things open with an 8-3 run and led 15-10 at the media timeout. The Paladins outscored Samford 10-2 after the break for the 25-12 win. Stein secured the set following her kill.

Furman added a .370 hitting mark during the third set with Stein registering five kills on .833 hitting. Navarro totaled nine assists and Seekford seven digs. The Paladins scored seven of the first 10 points and led 7-3 on Walch's service ace. The Bulldogs got as close as two points after that with the last coming at 15-13. Furman closed out the match on a 10-3 run for the 25-16 victory. Seekford's service ace clinched the set, and match, for the Paladins.

Furman concluded the contest hitting over .400 for the first time since 2015, finishing at .432. The Paladins held a 47-33 advantage in kills, 41-30 in assists, and 50-32 in digs. Furman also compiled eight blocks led by Gorman's five.

The Paladins are back at Alley Gymnasium on Saturday evening to host UNC Greensboro at 7 p.m. Fans can follow the action on www.furmanpaladins.com via live stats. Updates will be posted on the Furman volleyball Twitter page (@FurmanVB).

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