Furman 3, The Citadel 1
GREENVILLE, S.C. ? The Paladin volleyball team opened Southern Conference play with a 3-1 win over The Citadel on Friday night in Alley Gymnasium.
Furman controlled the first two sets, leading both throughout. The Paladins took the first set 25-19 and compiled a team hitting percentage of .423 along the way. Furman jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second set, helped by two consecutive block assists from senior Nicole Palazzo. The Paladins led by as many as eight points during the set and claimed a 25-17 win to head into the break ahead two sets to none.
The Bulldogs rallied in the third set, overcoming a 12-16 deficit to tie the score at 16 and again at 19 before falling into a 21-23 hole.
Following an attack error by Palazzo, the Bulldogs scored three straight points, off two kills by Jessica Maas and one from Rachel Sanders to take the set 25-23.
Furman regained control in the fourth set and reached a 20-12 lead before securing a 25-18 victory.
Three Bulldogs recorded double-doubles during the match, including sophomore Tatum Jestila, who led The Citadel with 17 kills and added 14 digs. Jessica Maas recorded 11 kills and 10 digs, while Rachel Sanders added 11 kills and 17 digs to lead the defense.
Senior Alison West led the Paladins with 17 kills and 17 digs, while freshman Kelly Kirby also notched a double-double with 12 kills and 12 assists and added four total blocks to the winning effort. Palazzo added 11 kills and five total blocks, and libero Brooke Ellison led the floor defense with 18 digs. Setter Kelsey Salava ran the offense with 38 assists and also added four kills on seven attempts for a .571 hitting percentage.
With the win, Furman improves to 7-6 overall and 1-0 in the Southern Conference, while The Citadel falls to 6-7 on the season and 0-1 in league play. Furman will host defending SoCon champion College of Charleston on Saturday at 7:00 p.m.
College of Charleston 3, Wofford 1
SPARTANBURG, S.C.- The Wofford volleyball team dropped its conference opener Friday night to the College of Charleston Cougars, 3-1. The Cougars took down the Terriers 28-26, 25-19, 25-27 and 25-19.
In the first set College of Charleston jumped out quick and held a comfortable lead until the late stages. The Terriers made it interesting with a four point run to tie the score at 24 when facing multiple set points. A kill by Joanna Suddath gave Wofford (10-6, 0-1 SoCon) its first lead of the set at 25-24. Two straight points for the Cougars put them back in front before a kill by the Terriers’ Stacy Byrd evened it at 26. College of Charleston (8-5, 1-0 SoCon) then scored on back-to-back kills to take the set.
The Terriers opened the second set on a five point run keyed by the serving of libero Brittany Thompson. College of Charleston responded with a run of its own to get the score back to even at eight. Wofford then went up, 10-8, but would never regain the lead after the Cougars scored four points in a row and eventually took the set.
Trailing 2-0, the Terriers played a solid second set to get back in the match hitting .474 on the strength of 17 kills on 31 total attacks with just two errors. Both teams played to a stalemate with neither one able to create separation from the other throughout. However , like the first set, the end of set three got interesting. Facing set points yet again, a block by Catelyn Amende and Suddath plus a kill by Byrd brought the Terriers back to even at 24-24. The Cougars jumped back in front on a kill by Sarah Havel but another point by Byrd tied it at 25. Byrd continued her hot streak closing out the set with consecutive service aces.
The Terriers got out early to a 7-4 lead in set four. The Cougars once again battled back to square it at 12 and then continued to stretch the lead to 15-12. Leading 16-13, College of Charleston went on a three point run to increase the margin to six before ultimately take the match.
For the Terriers Lindsey Richardson led the offense hitting .320 with nine kills on 25 total attacks with only one error. Shanna Hughes hit .220 with 14 kills on 41 total attacks committing five errors. Byrd led all Wofford hitters with 16 kills. Suddath chipped in four kills while adding 38 assists.
Hughes capped off her double-double with 19 digs to lead the Terriers backline. Sarah Palmer had a solid defensive game totaling 11 digs, while Thompson added 10.
College of Charleston had five players reach double digits in kills with Emily Sawin leading the way with 16. Cole Dawley also had seven kills and 53 assists. Libero Emily Shelton led the Cougar defense tallying 18 digs while Dawley also reached double digits with 11.
Wofford will return to action Saturday as it plays host to The Citadel at 6 p.m. in the Benjamin Johnson Arena. The match will be broadcast live on TerrierVision. For more information on TerrierVision visit athletics.wofford.edu.