CHARLESTON, S.C. – Brooke Scheffler's first career double-double propelled the Furman volleyball team past The Citadel Bulldogs, 3-1 (22-25, 25-16, 25-10, 25-15), in Southern Conference action Friday afternoon from McAlister Field House.
The Paladins push their winning streak to four consecutive matches, improving to 17-6 overall and 8-3 in the SoCon. The Citadel drops to 0-22 on the season and 0-12 in conference play.
Scheffler, a junior from Boone, N.C., finished with a career high 10 kills on .219 hitting, 20 digs, and three service aces to pace the Furman offense.
Ashtan Dodson fell one kill shy of a double-double, totaling nine kills and 10 digs.
Izzy Castelloe and
Lindsay Walch both finished with eight kills.
Eva Wheeler contributed 23 assists and
Kennedy Seekford 23 digs.
Gwen Berry led the Bulldogs with 12 kills. Lydia Larson dished out 17 assists while Mia Watson added a double-double of 13 assists and 12 digs. Jess Martin registered 17 digs.
The Citadel jumped out to a 1-0 lead after taking the first set, 25-22. The Paladins were limited to .135 hitting with Castelloe leading the team with five kills, Wheeler five assists, and Scheffler six digs.
Furman answered back in the second set, picking up a 25-16 victory. The Paladins compiled a .314 hitting percentage led by Scheffler's three kills and four digs. Wheeler recorded eight digs. The teams split the first 12 points before Furman broke things open with a 12-6 run and went ahead 18-12 on Dodson's kill. The Bulldogs got to within four before Furman scored the final three points for the nine-point win.
The Paladins added a .333 hitting performance in the third set with The Citadel being held to -.029. Scheffler had six kills on .750 hitting,
Quinn Morrissey tallied six assists, and Seekford compiled seven digs. Furman recorded 11 of the first 14 points and built an eight-point lead following Scheffler's service ace. Dodson later gave the Paladins a 20-7 lead with her kill. Furman collected the last three points and clinched the set with a Bulldog attack error.
Dodson and
Grainne McGrath had seven of the Paladins' 12 kills in the fourth set and secured the match with a 25-15 triumph. Furman hit .220 while The Citadel was limited to .019. Wheeler finished with six assists and Seekford nine digs. The Bulldogs tied the score early at 4-4, but the Paladins answered with a 7-1 run to take an 11-5 lead when McGrath registered a kill. A bad set by The Citadel pushed Furman's advantage to 18-9. Following a timeout by the Bulldogs, the Paladins closed out the frame scoring seven of the final 13 points. An attack error secured the 10-point victory for Furman.
The Paladins concluded the contest hitting .245 overall and held a 49-42 advantage in kills, 46-39 in assists, and 78-72 in digs.
Furman travels to Macon, Ga., on Saturday evening to take on Mercer at 6 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 be posted on the Furman volleyball Twitter page (@FurmanVB).
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