CLEMSON, S.C. – The Furman volleyball team closed out the non-conference portion of its schedule Friday afternoon with a 3-1 (25-23, 15-25, 25-22, 26-24) loss to the New Hampshire Wildcats on the final day of the Tiger Classic from Clemson's Jervey Gym.
Furman drops to 6-5 overall while New Hampshire improves to 8-3 on the year.
For the 11
th straight match and 15 out of the last 16 going back to last season,
Izzy Castelloe recorded double digit kills to lead the Paladin offense, turning in a match high 17 on .302 hitting to go with eight digs.
Kacie Moore totaled nine kills and
Ashley Stein contributed nine kills and 10 digs.
Emily Navarro poured in her team leading seventh double-double of the season with 35 assists and 11 digs.
Kennedy Seekford led all players with 23 digs and
Tennyson Gorman posted six blocks.
Julianne Lee paced the Wildcats with 13 kills and Olivia Maulding added 12. Emma Converse and Jessica Shattles both had double-doubles. Converse tallied 10 kills and 18 digs while Shattles contributed 45 assists and 10 digs.
Furman hit .387 in the opening set, but New Hampshire took advantage of six service aces to earn the 25-23 win. Castelloe and Gorman both finished with four kills,
Morgan Baldridge eight assists, and Dodson and Seekford five digs each. Neither team led by more than four points as the Paladins evened the score at 15-15 midway following a Wildcat attack error. New Hampshire led by as many as four points, 23-19, when Furman answered with four of the next five to trail, 24-23, off Castelloe's kill. New Hampshire clinched the set the following play.
The Paladins bounced back in the second set, claiming a 25-15 triumph to tie the match. Stein hit .545 and led Furman with six kills, Navarro dished out eight assists, and Seekford collected seven digs. The Paladins held the Wildcats to .000 hitting. New Hampshire held a 15-11 lead at the media timeout when Furman closed out the set recording the final 14 points. Stein totaled four of her kills over the last six points as a Wildcat attack error gave the Paladins the set.
The third set saw Furman hit .233 as a team led by Castelloe's six kills, 10 assists by Navarro, and three digs from Seekford. Castelloe gave the Paladins an early 7-5 lead after connecting on a kill. Seekford would later give Furman a 9-8 advantage off her kill when New Hampshire broke things open courtesy of a 13-6 run. Trailing 21-15, the Paladins staged a late comeback and trailed by two, 24-22, after back-to-back kills by Stein and Moore. The Wildcats picked up the win on a Furman service error.
New Hampshire captured the match after securing a 26-24 victory in the fourth set, which featured 14 ties and five lead changes. Castelloe compiled another five kills, Navarro 12 assists, and Seekford eight digs. The Paladins would be limited to .136 hitting in the frame.
Lauren Haynes put Furman ahead, 10-7, early and a Wildcat attack error later kept the Paladins' lead at three points, 12-9. New Hampshire held a 20-17 advantage late, but Furman rallied back again with the next three points and evened the score at 20-20 on Castelloe's kill. The teams traded the next nine points when a pair of Paladin attack errors gave the Wildcats the set and match.
Furman concluded the contest hitting .222 as a team and held a 78-73 advantage in digs. The Paladins combined for nine blocks. The match would have a total of 33 ties and 12 lead changes.
Furman opens Southern Conference play next weekend, September 25-26, traveling to Cookeville, Tenn., to face conference newcomer Tennessee Tech.
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