GREENSBORO, N.C. – Four Paladins had 10 or more kills Thursday evening as the Furman volleyball team started Southern Conference play with a 3-1 (17-25, 25-15, 25-19, 25-18) win over the UNC Greensboro Spartans at Fleming Gymnasium.
The Paladins handed the Spartans their first home loss of the season, and eight straight defeat in the series, after improving to 10-3 overall and 1-0 in the SoCon. With the loss, UNC Greensboro drops to 7-5 on the season and 0-1 in league play.
Furman had four players log double digit kills in the victory led by
Lauren Haynes' season high 13 on .265 hitting. The Smyrna, Ga., native added seven digs to go with three assists and one service ace.
Ashley Stein and
Lindsay Walch both finished with 11 kills while
Tennyson Gorman contributed 10.
Emily Navarro turned in her team leading sixth double-double of the season on 21 assists and 10 digs. Defensively,
Kennedy Seekford led all players with 16 digs.
Allie Sweet paced the Spartans with a double-double on 14 kills, a match high, and 11 digs. Robin Rosser added 12 kills. Gabby Seeds dished out 35 assists and nine digs, and Chloe Nussbaum totaled 13 digs.
UNC Greensboro took the early lead after claiming a 25-17 victory in set one. The Spartans compiled a .400 hitting percentage in the frame with the Paladins being limited to a .190 clip. Haynes hit .417 and led Furman with five kills.
Quinn Morrissey added seven assists and Navarro seven digs. UNCG secured 12 of the first 17 points of the set and built a 21-13 lead in the later stages. The Paladins then scored four straight points and trailed 21-17 following a kill from Stein. The Spartans recorded the final four points.
The second set saw Furman respond with a .344 hitting performance and holding UNC Greensboro to .130. Stein had a team high five kills while Gorman, Haynes, and Walch each tallied three. Navarro registered six assists and Seekford five digs. The teams traded the first 26 points of the set and were tied 13-13 when the Paladins reeled off nine straight points. The 9-0 run pushed Furman to a 22-13 lead capped by Seekford's service ace. A UNCG attack error clinched the set for the Paladins.
Six different players had a kill for Furman during the third set led by four apiece from Haynes and Walch. Morrissey and Navarro both collected six assists while Seekford posted six digs. The Paladins led by as many as four points in the early stages and took a 14-10 lead when Haynes connected on a kill. Furman followed with four consecutive points to jump out to an 18-10 advantage on a service ace by Haynes. The Spartans responded with four straight points and cut the Paladins' lead to 18-14. Furman scored seven of the final 12 points to win 25-19 after a UNCG service error.
The fourth set featured eight ties and six lead changes. The Paladins held the Spartans to -.057 hitting throughout the frame while six players contributed two or more kills. Gorman and
Izzy Castelloe had a team best three kills with Navarro turning in six assists and
Eva Wheeler four digs. All eight ties came within the opening 20 points when Castelloe evened the score at 10-10 with her kill. Furman would then go on an 11-4 run and broke the set open, going ahead 21-14 on Wheeler's kill. Gorman clinched the 25-18 set win and 3-1 match victory with her kill.
The Paladins concluded the contest hitting .262 overall and led 58-43 in kills and 48-41 in assists. Furman posted double digit blocks for the eighth time this season, finishing with 11 led by Gorman's six.
The Paladins are back at Alley Gymnasium Saturday afternoon to host Samford at 4 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 also 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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