GREENVILLE, S.C. – Izzy Castelloe turned in a team high 16 kills while
Ashtan Dodson and
Emily Navarro both collected double-doubles Thursday evening to propel the Furman volleyball team to a 3-2 (22-25, 25-12, 25-15, 19-25, 16-14) Southern Conference victory over the Chattanooga Mocs at Timmons Arena.
Furman snaps a three-match losing streak, improving to 7-7 overall and 1-2 in the SoCon. The loss drops Chattanooga to 5-10 on the season and 0-3 in conference play.
Castelloe was one of three Paladins to have 10 or more kills in the win along with Dodson (15) and
Kacie Moore (13). Dodson posted her first career double-double after totaling a team best 19 digs. Navarro contributed her team leading ninth double-double with 22 assists and 10 digs.
Morgan Baldridge led the team with 28 assists and added nine digs. Defensively,
Kennedy Seekford provided 15 digs and
Tennyson Gorman seven blocks.
Gracie Rose paced the Mocs offensively with a match high 17 kills and Jordin Glass collected 10. Ashley Reynolds and Mallory Merz combined for 40 assists and 15 digs. Caiti Barthel led all players with 22 digs.
After dropping the first set 25-22, Furman held Chattanooga to 15 points or less in sets two and three to take a 2-1 lead. Moore led the Paladins in set one with four kills, Baldridge six assists, and Dodson seven digs.
The second set saw Furman hit .367 as a team and held the Mocs to .000 en route to the 25-12 win. Dodson totaled four kills and three assists and Baldridge seven assists. The Paladins raced out with a 6-1 run and built 10-4 lead when Moore connected on a kill. Furman would hold a 15-8 advantage at the media timeout following a combination block from Castelloe and Gorman. Dodson later gave the Paladins a 20-9 advantage and
Amber Watson captured the set with her kill.
Furman then hit .516 overall in the third set and went on to the 25-15 triumph. Six different Paladins compiled a kill in the frame led by four apiece from Castelloe and
Lindsay Walch. Baldridge, Navarro, and Seekford all dished out five assists and Dodson registered four digs. Chattanooga took an early 8-6 lead when the Paladins answered with a 9-3 run, capped by Castelloe's kill, to go ahead 15-11 at the media timeout. Furman would then outscore the Mocs, 6-1, after the break and went on to the 10-point win off Gorman's kill.
Chattanooga evened the match in the fourth set with a 25-19 victory. The Paladins would hit .323 in the frame, but the Mocs answered with a .500 clip. Castelloe, Dodson, and Moore all tallied three kills, Baldridge seven assists, and Seekford three digs.
The fifth, and deciding, set went into extras with Furman holding off a late Chattanooga rally, 16-14, to clinch the match. Neither team hit above .100 with Castelloe recording three kills, Baldridge three assists, and Dodson and Seekford four digs. The Paladins held an 8-5 advantage at the media timeout and sat at set point, 14-10, when Castelloe and Gorman combined for a block. The Mocs reeled off four straight points, tying the set at 14-14. Castelloe secured the match with back-to-back kills.
Furman concluded the match hitting .269 and limited Chattanooga to .177 overall. The Paladins held a 66-53 advantage in kills, 59-51 in digs, and 68-61 in digs. Furman's 11 blocks marked the eighth time this season it has registered double digit blocks in a contest.
The Paladins wrap up their series with Chattanooga Friday evening 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).
Single-game tickets are available at $10 with groups being able to purchase tickets at $5. Kids 12 years and younger receive free admission.
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