GREENVILLE, S.C. – The Furman volleyball team kicks off the Southern Conference portion of its schedule this week taking on the UNC Greensboro Spartans and Samford Bulldogs.

The Paladins start league play Thursday evening when they travel to Greensboro, N.C., for a 6 p.m. first serve at UNC Greensboro. Furman then returns to Alley Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon to host Samford at 4 p.m.

Fans can follow the action on www.furmanpaladins.com via live stats. The matches are 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.

The Paladins (9-3, 0-0 SoCon) closed out non-conference play last week going 2-1 against Charlotte, Maryland Eastern Shore, and Ohio. Furman dropped a 3-1 decision at home to Charlotte before picking up a 3-0 sweep of Maryland Eastern Shore and 3-2 triumph versus Ohio at the Charlotte Invitational in Charlotte, N.C.

The Paladins suffered their first home loss of the season on September 18 against Charlotte. Ashley Stein (14 kills, 16 digs) and Quinn Morrissey (27 assists, 13 digs) both compiled double-doubles while Tennyson Gorman registered 13 kills on .417 hitting. 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. 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's six.

Gorman finished with a team high 10 kills in the three-set sweep of Maryland Eastern Shore on September 19 and hit .769 to go with three assisted blocks. Stein contributed seven kills and Izzy Castelloe six. Navarro dished out 17 assists and Morrissey provided 11. Seekford led all players with nine digs. Furman hit .295 as a team and limited the Hawks to -.012. The Paladins led 33-26 in kills and assists, and 32-31 in digs. Furman also registered 10 blocks led by Kacie Moore's team best five.

Lindsay Walch was one of three Paladins to have double digit kills in the Paladins' 3-2 victory versus Ohio on September 20. Walch recorded a career high 19 kills on .421 hitting and added three digs, two service aces, and one block. Gorman compiled 14 kills on .440 hitting and tied for the team lead with three blocks. Stein provided 11 kills, and Navarro posted her team leading fifth double-double of the year on 26 assists and 12 digs. Morrissey dished out 25 assists and Seekford had a match high 28 digs. Furman recorded a .308 hitting percentage in the win and both teams finished with 76 digs and seven blocks.

UNC Greensboro enters the week with a 7-4 overall record and Samford currently sits at 5-6. The Paladins hold a 43-18 advantage in the all-time series over UNC Greensboro but trail Samford 25-21.

Furman remains at Alley Gymnasium October 2-3 to host Mercer and The Citadel in Southern Conference action.

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