JOHNSON CITY, TENN. – Furman head coach
Michelle Young recorded her 450
th career victory Saturday afternoon as the Paladins swept the East Tennessee State Buccaneers, 3-0 (25-21, 25-23, 28-26), in Southern Conference volleyball action from Brooks Gymnasium.
Furman ends ETSU's seven-match winning streak and improves to 10-12 overall and 4-7 in the SoCon. With the loss, the Buccaneers drop to 9-13 on the season and 7-4 in conference play.
Izzy Castelloe led all players with a match high 16 kills for the Paladins on .281 hitting while
Kacie Moore hit .556 and posted 11 kills.
Morgan Baldridge turned in her second consecutive double-double, and third of the season, on 35 assists and 13 digs.
Kennedy Seekford finished with a team best 14 digs and
Ashtan Dodson contributed 10.
Makayla Bays paced the East Tennessee State offense with 10 kills. Bailey Gohlke (18) and Kennedy Boatman (17) combined for 35 assists. Melanie Morris compiled 14 digs.
Furman limited ETSU to just .089 hitting in the first set en route to the 25-21 win. Castelloe registered four kills, and Baldridge added nine assists and seven digs. The Paladins picked up five of the initial seven points and would take an 11-7 lead when Castelloe and
Tennyson Gorman combined for a block. Furman would hold a 15-12 advantage at the media timeout and extended its lead to 20-15 after
Amber Watson connected on a kill. The Buccaneers cut the lead down to two, 20-18, but the Paladins answered with three straight points. Castelloe captured the set with her kill.
The second set featured 10 ties and five lead changes with Furman holding on for the 25-23 triumph. Led by Castelloe's five kills, the Paladins totaled a .143 hitting mark as Baldridge dished out 10 assists and was one of four players to have four digs. East Tennessee State took an early 6-3 lead and later held a 21-18 advantage, leading to a Paladin timeout. Furman outscored the Buccaneers, 7-2, after that to secure the two-point victory. With the score tied at 23-23, a kill from
Ashley Stein and combination block by Baldridge and Moore gave the Paladins the win.
The third, and final, set went into extra points and saw the score tied a total of 17 times with Furman earning the 28-26 victory. The Paladins would hit .395 as a team led by seven kills from Castelloe, 16 assists by Baldridge, and seven digs from Seekford. Furman led for most of the early stages, building a 14-10 advantage following Gorman's kill. ETSU would go in front, 23-22, late and was at set point when Moore posted two kills and a service ace to give the Paladins a 25-24 lead. The teams traded the next four points when Castelloe secured the set, and match, off her kill.
Furman concluded the match hitting .235 overall and held a 45-41 advantage in kills, 43-39 in assists, and 61-50 in digs. The Paladins also led 10.0-5.0 in blocks highlighted by five from Gorman and four apiece by Castelloe and Moore.
Furman is back at Timmons Arena on Tuesday, October 27, to host The Citadel in Southern Conference play 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).
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