GREENVILLE, S.C. – Ashley Stein and
Lindsay Walch both had 12 kills on Thursday evening to power Furman past Wofford, 3-1 (27-25, 10-25, 25-20, 25-4), in Southern Conference volleyball action inside Alley Gymnasium.
The Paladins have now won five out of their last six matches, improving to 18-7 overall and 9-4 in the SoCon. The Terriers drop to 13-11 on the season and 9-4 in conference play. Furman snaps a seven-match losing streak to Wofford, picking up its first win in the series since a 3-0 sweep in Greenville on October 20, 2021.
Stein and Walch led the Paladin offense with 12 kills apiece, with Stein hitting .391 for the match and Walch .258. Stein registered her fourth double-double of the season after totaling 11 digs.
Ashtan Dodson set a new career high with 15 digs and finished with eight kills on .421 hitting.
Emily Navarro poured in 22 assists and nine digs, while
Kennedy Seekford added 12 digs.
Chloe Smith paced the Terriers with a match high 16 kills. Taylor Pecht tallied 22 assists and Laney Klika 17 digs.
The opening set featured 14 ties and seven lead changes with Furman hitting .300 and holding on for a 27-25 victory. Walch poured in five kills, Navarro eight assists, and Dodson five digs. The Paladins opened on a 7-3 run and took a four-point lead on Stein's kill. Wofford would take a 14-11 advantage before Furman used a 7-2 run to lead 18-16 after Dodson connected on a kill. The Terriers came back to tie the score 20-20 and both teams followed by trading 10 straight points. The Paladins clinched the set with a combination block from Dodson and Gorman, and Dodson adding a kill.
Wofford responded by capturing the second set, 25-10, and evening the match at 1-1. Furman was limited to .034 hitting while the Terriers added a .458 clip. Stein led the team with three kills, Navarro dished out four assists, and
Eva Wheeler compiled four digs.
The Paladins bounced back in the third set with a 25-20 triumph. Led by five kills apiece from Stein and Walch, Furman collected a .333 hitting percentage and limited Wofford to .135. Navarro had eight assists and Dodson and Seekford added five digs each. The teams traded the first 20 points before the Terriers scored three straight for a 13-10 lead. The Paladins outscored Wofford 12-3 after that and led 22-16 when Gorman recorded a kill. Walch secured the set with her kill.
Furman was dominant defensively in the fourth set, holding the Terriers to just four points on -.146 hitting. The Paladins clinched the match with the 25-4 win. Three different players had two kills, Wheeler recorded three assists, and Dodson and Stein both posted five digs. The teams exchanged the initial two points when Furman broke things open courtesy of a 12-2 run. Stein gave the Paladins a 13-3 lead following her kill. Furman outscored Wofford 12-1 the rest of the way, earning the victory on a Terrier attack error.
The four points surrendered in the fourth set was the fewest allowed by the Paladins since holding UNC Greensboro to seven in the third set of their 3-1 triumph on November 14, 2022 in the first round of the SoCon Volleyball Championship at Alley Gymnasium.
Furman concluded the contest hitting .282 as a team and held a 51-44 advantage in kills, 44-41 in assists, and 63-51 in digs. The Paladins boasted 12 blocks led by Gorman, who tied her career high of 10. Stein matched her career high of five blocks.
Furman plays its final home match of the season on Saturday hosting league-leading East Tennessee State for Senior Night 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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