GREENVILLE, S.C. – Ashley Stein registered a team high 11 kills to lead the Furman volleyball team to a 3-0 (25-15, 25-16, 25-21) sweep of the Alabama State Hornets in its home opener Thursday evening on day one of the Furman Invite at Alley Gymnasium.

Furman improves to 5-2 overall while Alabama State drops to 0-7 on the year.

For the second straight match, Stein finished with 11 kills and hit .333 as the Paladins posted a season high .324 hitting percentage. Amber Watson and Tennyson Gorman both compiled seven kills and hit .538 and .357, respectively. Emily Navarro contributed 21 assists and seven digs, and Quinn Morrissey provided 17 assists. Kennedy Seekford led all players with a match high 13 digs.

Furman's .324 clip marked the first time it hit over .300 for a match since November 8, 2024, compiling a .318 mark during a victory over Samford.

Jyriah Morgan paced the Hornet offense with 12 kills while Sierra Scanlan added 17 assists and eight digs.

The Paladins held Alabama State to .000 hitting in the first set while posting a .382 mark as Gorman, Stein, and Izzy Castelloe combined for 12 of the team's 15 kills. Navarro collected nine assists and four digs. The teams traded the first 14 points before Furman outscored the Hornets 9-5 and took a 16-12 lead following a combination block by Castelloe and Gorman. After an Alabama State timeout, the Paladins closed out the set on a 9-3 run to win 25-15. Gorman secured the set with her kill.

The second set saw Furman hold the Hornets to below .000 hitting at -.051. The Paladins, who hit .241 as a team in the frame, were led by Kacie Moore's three kills while Navarro added five assists and Seekford six digs. Alabama State scored the opening five points before Furman responded with eight of the next nine points to go in front 8-6 on Seekford's service ace, leading to a Hornet timeout. Alabama State would cut its deficit to 10-8 when the Paladins broke things open courtesy of a 9-2 run. A solo block from Lindsay Walch gave Furman a 19-10 advantage. The Paladins clinched the set 25-16 following a Hornet attack error.

For the second time in the match, Furman would hit over .300 in the third set when its .333 clip secured the match sweep with a 25-21 triumph. Stein led the Paladins with five kills on .364 hitting and Watson contributed four kills and four digs on .800 hitting. Morrissey dished out nine assists. The frame saw the score tied a total of 11 times with the last coming at 16-16 when Moore and Watson teamed up for a block. Furman closed out the set on a 9-5 run and captured the match on Stein's kill.

Despite playing only three sets, the Paladins compiled double digit digs for the fourth time this season. Furman finished with 10 total blocks led by Gorman's six assisted and three apiece from Moore, Castelloe, and Watson.

The Paladins concluded the match holding a 41-33 advantage in kills and assists.

Furman returns to action Friday evening on day two of the Furman Invite hosting North Florida 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). Admission to all Paladin home matches this season is free of charge with first-come, first-serve seating. 

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