ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The second-seeded Furman volleyball team advanced at the SoCon Volleyball Championship Friday afternoon following a 3-1 (25-22, 20-25, 25-12, 25-22) victory over the seventh-seeded Mercer Bears in the quarterfinals from Harrah's Cherokee Center.

Furman improves to 21-8 overall while Mercer ends its season at 10-20.

The Paladins used a balanced offensive attack with six players totaling seven or more kills. Grainne McGrath and second team All-SoCon Ashley Stein both led the team with nine kills while first team All-SoCon Tennyson Gorman posted eight. Playing in her first match in nearly two months, Lauren Haynes was one of three players that recorded seven kills along with Lindsay Walch and second team All-SoCon Izzy Castelloe. Eva Wheeler (20) and Emily Navarro (19) combined for 39 assists. Kennedy Seekford had a team high 13 digs while Haynes added 11 and Hayley Dionis 10.

Sophia Henry paced the Bears with 15 kills and Sammi Bergjans compiled a double-double of 24 assists and 13 digs. Aubri Martin led all players with 24 digs.

Furman hit .333 in the opening set to pick up the 25-22 win. Three different players had three kills while Navarro and Wheeler both dished out five assists. Haynes contributed four digs. The teams split the first 16 points before Mercer went on a 7-3 run to go in front 15-11. The Paladins answered with six consecutive points as part of an 11-4 run and took a 22-19 lead when McGrath connected on a kill. The Bears got to within a point at 22-21 when Furman closed out the frame with three of the last four points. Haynes' solo block clinched the set.

Mercer answered with a 25-20 victory in the second set to even the match at 1-1. The Paladins were limited to .029 hitting with Haynes and Walch both turning in three kills. Wheeler added five assists and Dionis and Gorman both registered three digs.

Furman bounced back in the third set, trailing just once before running away with a 25-12 triumph. The Paladins posted a .286 hitting percentage and held the Bears to an .027 clip. Stein and Gorman combined for nine of Furman's 12 kills, Navarro and Wheeler both dished out five assists, and Seekford compiled eight digs. The Paladins picked up 11 of the first 13 points, capped by back-to-back kills from Stein, and built a 17-8 lead off Haynes' service ace. Following a timeout by Mercer, Furman reeled off eight of the last 12 points and captured the frame when Castelloe and Gorman combined for a block.

The Paladins secured the match with a 25-22 win in the fourth set. Furman posted a .333 clip offensively as three different players had three kills each. Navarro and Wheeler combined for 10 assists and four players finished with two digs. The score was tied a total of eight times with the teams exchanging the first 20 points when two straight errors gave the Paladins a 12-10 lead. The Bears would then take a 15-13 lead heading into the media timeout. Furman outscored Mercer 10-2 after the break and went ahead 23-17 on a kill from Walch. The Bears got as close as 24-22 when an attack error clinched the set, and match, for the Paladins.

Furman concluded the contest hitting .246 overall and held an 8-5 advantage in service aces. The Paladins also posted eight blocks led by four from Gorman and three apiece from McGrath and Walch.

Furman will play the winner of No. 3 Wofford-No. 6 Samford tomorrow in the second semifinal match at 7 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 also be posted on the Furman volleyball Twitter page (@FurmanVB).

Tickets are available for $15 and $35, respectively, for daily general admission and New Belgium Courtside Lounge passes. Tickets for students from SoCon institutions are $10. The New Belgium Courtside Lounge packages include access to courtside seating, two drink tickets and light complimentary snacks.

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