COOKEVILLE, TENN. – Ava Schubert had a match high 12 kills Friday evening to lead the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles to a 3-1 (19-25, 25-16, 25-21, 25-20) win over the Furman volleyball team in the Southern Conference opener at the Hooper Eblen Center.
The win improves Tennessee Tech to 5-8 overall and 1-0 in the SoCon. With the loss, the Paladins drop to 6-6 on the year and 0-1 in conference play.
Izzy Castelloe and
Kacie Moore both led the Furman offense with 10 kills apiece. Castelloe now has double digit kills in 12 consecutive matches and 16 out of the last 17 going back to last season.
Emily Navarro contributed her team leading eighth double-double this year on 28 assists and a match high 15 digs.
Brooke Scheffler totaled 14 digs and
Kennedy Seekford 12.
Tennyson Gorman posted seven blocks.
Schubert compiled a .429 hitting mark for the Golden Eagles to lead all players with her 12 kills. Audrey Berkebile added 11 kills. Morgan Petelin recorded a double-double of 43 assists and 12 digs. Shelby Hannah matched Peteline with 12 digs.
Furman took the opening set by a 25-19 score after hitting .167 as a team and limiting Tennessee Tech to a .109 clip. Castelloe and Moore both led the Paladins with three kills, Navarro six assists and six digs, and Seekford seven digs. Gorman would give Furman a 16-9 lead midway with her solo block and later made the score 18-12 following her kill. The Golden Eagles made a late rally and cut the Paladins' lead down to 19-18 when Furman closed out on a 6-1 run. Castelloe and Gorman combined for a block to secure the set.
Tennessee Tech bounced back to take the second set, 25-16, to even the match. The Paladins posted a .185 hitting percentage while the Golden Eagles answered with a .323 mark. Castelloe and Gorman each tallied three kills, Navarro five assists, and Seekford three digs. Furman opened by scoring four of the first five points and held a 6-2 advantage after a Tennessee Tech attack error. With the score tied at 8-8, the Golden Eagles broke the set open courtesy of a 13-6 run going ahead, 21-14, and used a service ace to earn the nine-point win.
The Paladins staged a late comeback attempt in the third set, but Tennessee Tech would hold on for the 25-21 victory. Furman was held to .154 hitting in the frame. Castelloe and Moore led the team with four kills, and Navarro 11 assists and six digs. Gorman and Navarro gave the Paladins an early 5-4 lead off their combination block when the Golden Eagles responded with a 12-6 run to build a 16-11 advantage after the media timeout. Furman cut its deficit down to 16-14, but Tennessee Tech came back with six of the next nine points.
Lauren Haynes would then get the Paladins back within two, 22-20, off her kill. The Golden Eagles finished by registering three of the final four points.
Tennessee Tech clinched the match with a 25-20 triumph in the fourth set. Gorman and Moore combined for all six of Furman's kills in the set while Navarro collected six assists and Castelloe four digs. Gorman and Navarro teamed up for an early block to even the score at 4-4. The Golden Eagles would then go on an 11-7 run as the Paladins trailed 15-11 at the media timeout. Furman got as close as 18-15 after that on Moore's kill. Tennessee Tech extended its lead back out to 23-16 and went on to the five-point victory.
The Paladins finished the contest hitting .125 and held a 72-71 advantage in digs. Furman also posted 10 blocks in the match.
The teams close out their series Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. EST. 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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