GREENVILLE, S.C. – Tennyson Gorman tied her career high of 16 kills Saturday afternoon to lead the Furman volleyball team to a 3-1 (25-21, 25-20, 17-25, 26-24) win over the Winthrop Eagles in the final match of the Furman Invite from Alley Gymnasium.

Furman (7-2) moves its winning streak to five straight matches and finishes the Furman Invite undefeated at 3-0. With the loss, Winthrop falls to 4-4 overall.

Gorman was named the MVP of the Furman Invite and earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team along with Emily Navarro and Ashley Stein.

A sophomore from Franklin, Tenn., Gorman hit .652 to pace the Paladin offensive attack and totaled four assisted blocks. Stein registered her first double-double of the season with 14 kills and 14 digs. Izzy Castelloe contributed nine kills on .364 hitting. Navarro (29), Quinn Morrissey (11), and Eva Wheeler (8) combined for 48 assists. Kennedy Seekford added 12 digs.

Avery Jolley led the Eagles with a double-double on a match high 24 kills and 12 digs. Paige Bennett compiled 12 kills. Isabella Murray dished out 28 assists while Rachel McCollum totaled a double-double of 21 assists and 13 digs. Sophia Matthews also had 12 digs.

Furman hit .438 in the opening set with Stein pouring in five kills and three digs. Navarro posted six assists and Morrissey five. Winthrop started by scoring five of the first six points before the Paladins got to within 12-10 on Amber Watson's kill. After the Eagles answered with back-to-back points, Furman used an 11-4 run to go in front 21-18 when Lindsay Walch connected on a kill. Gorman clinched the 25-21 win with her kill.

The Paladins recorded another .400 hitting performance in the second set after finishing at .438 en route to a 25-20 triumph. Gorman led the team with five kills on .833 hitting and three other players had three kills. Navarro collected eight assists and Seekford six digs. Furman raced out to an early 9-4 advantage, leading to a Winthrop timeout, when Walch connected on a kill. The Paladins led by as many as eight midway when Kacie Moore's kill put the score at 18-10. The Eagles fought back with a late 8-2 run and trailed 20-18. Furman responded by closing out the set on a 5-2 run and secured the set when Castelloe and Gorman combined for a block.

The Paladins were limited to just .125 hitting in the third set as Winthrop cut Furman's lead down to 2-1 following a 25-17 victory. Gorman had four kills on no attack errors and Navarro compiled six assists. Stein and Wheeler both had five digs.

The fourth set featured 13 ties and six lead changes as the frame went into extra points. Watson recorded five kills and hit .625 to pace the Paladin offense. Navarro added nine assists and Stein five digs. The Eagles led for most of the set until a kill by Watson gave Furman a 15-14 lead midway. Winthrop retook the lead late and sat on set point leading 24-22 when the Paladins called a timeout. Furman came out of the break to force extra points off an Eagle service error and kill from Watson to tie the score at 24-24. The Paladins then received a combination block by Watson and Gorman before Gorman clinched the set, and match, with her kill. Furman hit .417 for the set.

The Paladins had a season high .343 hitting performance in the victory. Furman held a 60-57 advantage in kills and 58-56 in digs. The Paladins finished with double digit blocks for the sixth time this season at 11. Moore's five led Furman with Gorman contributing four and Stein and Watson three apiece.

The Paladins are back at Alley Gymnasium next Thursday, September 18 hosting Charlotte at 6 p.m. Fans can follow the action on www.furmanpaladins.com via live stats. 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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