JOHNSON CITY, TENN. – Makayla Bays registered a double-double to lead the East Tennessee State Buccaneers to a 3-1 (25-21, 19-25, 25-16, 25-21) Southern Conference victory over the Furman volleyball team, Friday evening from Brooks Gymnasium.
Furman drops to 9-12 overall and 3-7 in the SoCon. The win improves East Tennessee State to 9-12 on the season and 7-3 in conference play.
Amber Watson's 11 kills paced the Paladin offense on Friday while
Kacie Moore provided 10 on .368 hitting.
Morgan Baldridge netted her second double-double of the year on 32 assists and 18 digs. Defensively,
Kennedy Seekford totaled 17 digs and
Brooke Scheffler added 12.
Bays led all players with a match high 14 kills for the Buccaneers and joined Melanie Morris compiling 20 digs. Karis Chatfield also contributed a double-double of 11 kills and 14 digs. Bailey Gohlke (18) and Kennedy Boatman (15) combined for 33 assists.
Furman outhit East Tennessee State, .242-.213, in the first set, but ETSU tallied five more kills to earn the 25-21 victory. Moore, Watson, and
Izzy Castelloe all compiled three kills, and Baldridge added six assists and six digs.
The Paladins bounced back in the second set, tying the match at 1-1 following their 25-19 triumph. Watson hit .600 and led Furman with six kills, Baldridge dished out 13 assists, and Seekford posted seven digs. The teams traded the first 18 points before the Paladins reeled off a 10-4 run and took a 19-13 lead when Moore connected on a kill. Castelloe gave Furman its largest lead of the set, 23-15, following back-to-back kills.
Tennyson Gorman clinched the frame with her kill.
The Buccaneers secured the match after winning 25-16 in the third set and 25-21 in the fourth. The Paladins were limited to -.029 hitting during the third with Moore turning in three kills, Baldridge five assists, and Scheffler and
Ashtan Dodson four digs apiece. In the fourth set, Furman posted a .159 hitting percentage led by four kills from Stein, and eight assists and six digs by Baldridge.
The Paladins concluded the contest hitting .181 and led 79-69 in digs and 8.0-7.0 in blocks. Moore led the team with five blocks and Castelloe added four.
The two teams conclude their series Saturday afternoon at 2 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).
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