CHATTANOOGA, TENN. – The Furman volleyball team closed out the regular season Saturday evening with a 3-1 (15-25, 25-20, 19-25, 20-25) defeat to the Chattanooga Mocs in Southern Conference action from Maclellan Gym.

Furman heads into the SoCon Volleyball Championship with a 20-8 overall record and finished the regular season 11-5 in the conference. With the win, Chattanooga improves to 16-12 on the year and 10-6 in SoCon play.

Izzy Castelloe led the Paladin offense with 12 kills on .357 hitting while Lindsay Walch poured in 10. Eva Wheeler and Emily Navarro both contributed double-doubles. Wheeler posted the first of her career on 21 assists and 11 digs while Navarro added her team best 11^th with 17 assists and 13 digs. Kennedy Seekford was one of five players who had 10 or more digs with a match high 17.

Sydney Jackwin led all players with 16 kills to pace Chattanooga. Ashley Reynolds tallied a double-double of 23 assists and 10 digs. Caiti Barthel had a team best 16 digs.

Furman was limited to only .077 hitting in the first set as the Mocs took a 1-0 lead following a 25-15 win. The opening frame featured nine ties with the teams trading the initial 20 points. A Chattanooga service error tied the score at 10-10. The Mocs outscored the Paladins 15-5 the rest of the way for the 10-point victory.

Furman responded in the second set with a 25-20 win to even the score at 1-1. The Paladins compiled a .234 hitting percentage while holding Chattanooga to a .128 clip. The score was tied 4-4 in the early stages until an attack error by the Mocs gave Furman a 13-9 advantage. Chattanooga later cut the Paladins' lead to 18-17. Furman responded by scoring four consecutive point to take a 22-17 lead after another attack error from the Mocs. Walch captured the set for the Paladins with her kill.

Chattanooga retook the lead at 2-1 following a 25-19 triumph in the third set. Furman boasted a .250 hitting percentage but the Mocs turned in a .467 mark. Chattanooga led 18-13 midway when the Paladins reeled off a 6-2 run and trailed 20-19 when Tennyson Gorman registered a kill. The Mocs ended the set scoring the last five points.

Chattanooga clinched the match with a 25-20 victory in the fourth set. Furman was held to just .082 hitting after committing eight attack errors. Gorman gave the Paladins an early 6-3 lead off her kill before the Mocs came back with a 9-2 run to lead by a 12-8 margin. Furman was down 19-13 when it answered with a 6-2 run and trimmed its deficit down to 21-19 on Castelloe's kill. Chattanooga finished out the set on a 4-1 run to win by five.

The Paladins concluded the match hitting .153 overall.

Furman will be the No. 2 seed in next week's SoCon Volleyball Championship and face seventh-seeded Mercer in the quarterfinals at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, November 21 from Harrah's Cherokee Center in Asheville, N.C.

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