GREENVILLE, S.C. – Kristen Birmingham had a match high 18 kills to lift the Charlotte 49ers to a 3-1 (25-22, 21-25, 25-17, 29-27) victory over the Furman volleyball team in non-conference action Thursday evening inside Alley Gymnasium.
Furman suffers its first home loss of the season and drops to 7-3 overall. With the win, Charlotte improves to 7-3 overall.
Ashley Stein and
Quinn Morrissey both compiled double-doubles to pace the Paladins. Stein finished with 14 kills and 16 digs while Morrissey contributed 27 assists and 13 digs.
Tennyson Gorman registered 13 kills on .417 hitting and
Izzy Castelloe posted nine kills.
Emily Navarro turned in 21 assists and seven digs. Defensively,
Kennedy Seekford led the team with 16 digs and
Ashtan Dodson set a new career high with 14.
Birmingham led the 49ers with her double-double of 19 kills and 12 digs. Jaylen Jordan (15 kills, 18 digs) and Lauren Nixon (24 assists, 11 digs) both added double-doubles. Jessica Ricks recorded 11 kills and Annika Thompson led all players with 19 digs.
The opening set featured 11 ties and six lead changes. Furman was limited to .087 hitting while three different players had three kills, Morrissey and Navarro both dished out five assists, and Dodson and Seekford had five digs apiece. The Paladins led 20-18 late off Navarro's service ace before Charlotte ended the frame on a 7-2 run for the 25-22 victory.
Furman responded with a 25-21 triumph in the second set to even the score at 1-1. The Paladins compiled a .220 hitting percentage with Gorman (7) and
Kacie Moore (5) combining for 12 of the team's 17 kills. Morrissey compiled eight assists and Stein five digs. The teams traded the first 10 points before Furman scored four straight to lead 9-5 when Gorman posted back-to-back kills. Furman led by six points in the later stages and held a 20-14 advantage following
Amber Watson's kill. The 49ers staged a late rally and got to within 23-21. The Paladins clinched the set on
Grainne McGrath's kill and a Charlotte ball handling error.
The third set saw Furman hit in the negative at -.022 as the 49ers won 25-17. Three Paladins had three kills, and Morrissey collected six assists and seven digs. Charlotte scored 14 of the first 19 points to build a 14-5 lead. The Paladins got as close as 19-15 late after Gorman connected on a kill. The 49ers ended on a 6-2 run for the eight-point win.
The fourth set went into extra points as the score was tied a total of nine times. Furman outhit Charlotte .220-.204 with Stein tallying seven kills and six digs. Morrissey added eight digs. The Paladins trailed 23-21 before scoring three straight points to sit at set point leading 24-23 after back-to-back 49er attack errors. The teams exchanged the following eight points before two consecutive kills from Birmingham clinched the set, and match, for Charlotte.
Furman concluded the match hitting .126 and held a 58-49 advantage in kills and 54-44 in assists. The Paladins compiled eight blocks led by Gorman, who finished with six for the third time in four matches.
Furman travels to Charlotte, N.C., tomorrow afternoon to face Maryland Eastern Shore at 3 p.m. from Charlotte's Halton Arena. Fans can follow the action on www.furmanpaladins.com via live stats. Updates will be posted on the Furman volleyball Twitter page (@FurmanVB).
Minuteman Press is the Official Sponsor of Furman Athletics press releases.
