GREENVILLE, S.C. – The Furman volleyball team opens Southern Conference play this weekend when it travels to Cookeville, Tenn., to face league newcomers Tennessee Tech at the Hooper Eblen Center.

The Paladins and Golden Eagles are slated for two matches on Friday and Saturday. Friday's match will begin at 7:00 p.m. EST and Saturday is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. EST.

Fans can follow the action on www.furmanpaladins.com via live stats. Both matches are being streamed via paid subscription on ESPN+. Updates will be posted on the Furman volleyball Twitter page (@FurmanVB).

Furman (6-5, 0-0 SoCon) closed out non-conference play last week splitting a pair of matches at the Tiger Classic in Clemson, S.C. The Paladins earned a 3-2 victory over Clemson before dropping a 3-1 decision to New Hampshire. The win against Clemson was Furman's first over the Tigers since 2016 and first against an ACC opponent since defeating Georgia Tech at the Georgia Tech Invite in 2017.

In the win against Clemson, Izzy Castelloe poured in a match high 18 kills after hitting .350. Tennyson Gorman contributed 11 kills on .647 hitting to go with five blocks and three service aces. Kacie Moore had a team high eight blocks and registered nine kills. Emily Navarro dished out 27 assists and Morgan Baldridge 12. Ashtan Dodson and Kennedy Seekford both had 14 digs.

The Paladins finished the contest hitting .243 overall and held a 55-49 advantage in kills, and 47-46 in assists. Furman also tied its season high of 15 blocks.

Castelloe then turned in 17 kills on .302 hitting to go with eight digs in the loss to New Hampshire. Moore totaled nine kills and Ashley Stein contributed nine kills and 10 digs. Navarro registered her team leading seventh double-double of the season with 35 assists and 11 digs. Seekford led all players with 23 digs and Gorman posted six blocks.

Furman concluded the contest hitting .222 as a team and held a 78-73 advantage in digs. The Paladins combined for nine blocks. 

Tennessee Tech enters the weekend 4-8 overall and is coming off a 3-1 loss at Lipscomb on Tuesday. The Golden Eagles are under the direction of 11^th-year head coach Jeannette Phillips.

Tennessee Tech holds a 3-1 lead in the all-time series over Furman and the teams are meeting for the first time in 18 years. In the last meeting, the Golden Eagles recorded a 3-1 victory.

The Paladins play their first conference home matches of the season next weekend, October 1-2, hosting Chattanooga at Timmons Arena.

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