Furman 3, Winthrop 0

ROCK HILL, S.C. – Senior Chandler Ambrester notched her third-straight double-double with a team-high 17 kills and 10 digs to lead the Furman volleyball team to a 3-0 (25-19, 25-19, 25-16) sweep of Winthrop Tuesday at Winthrop Coliseum in Rock Hill, S.C.

Following an 11-11 tie in set one, the Paladins put together a 5-1 run to lead 16-12 and maintained the four-point advantage at 17-13.  The Eagles came within one of Furman at 19-18, but the Paladins reeled off five-straight points, including three-consecutive kills from junior Christina Dorismond, to earn set point.  A final kill from Dorismond sealed the 25-19 set victory.

The Paladins jumped out to a quick 10-6 lead in the second set and led 14-8 before Winthrop recorded a 5-2 run to cut the margin to 16-13.  Furman answered with a swift 6-2 run of its own to regain the momentum, but the Eagles won four out of the next five points to stay in the match, down 23-19.  A Paladin kill from freshman setter Jo Wilks created set point, and an Eagle attack error gave Furman a 2-0 set lead at the break. 

Furman held a slight 11-10 advantage in set three before the Paladins went on an 11-2 run to gain control of the match, 22-12.  Winthrop scored on four out of the following six points, but another Wilks kill at match point gave Furman a 25-16 win.

Wilks recorded her ninth double-double of the season, collecting 40 asssists and 13 digs.  Senior Caroline Adams led the Paladins with a .611 attack percentage, tallying 12 kills, while Dorismond hit .391 with 11 kills in the match-up.  Junior libero Elle Ross paced the Paladin defense with 23 kills, and sophomore Katie Harrell added 13 digs in the victory. 

Winthrop (11-13) was led by Rachel Lenz, who recorded nine kills.  Stephanie Palmer notched a team-high 21 assists, and Kristin Cruse led the Eagles with 14 digs. 

Furman (19-6, 7-3 SoCon) plays host to Wofford Friday at 6 p.m.  Admission is free to the match, which is part of a nation-wide “Dig Pink” Rally.  Fans are encouraged to wear pink to the match on Friday, in support of the fight against breast cancer. 

The Citadel 3, North Carolina A&T 0

Charleston, S.C. – The Citadel volleyball team earned its third victory at McAlister Field House this season when it completed a 25-18, 25-22, 25-20 sweep of North Carolina A&T on Tuesday evening.

The Citadel, participating in its fifth annual "Dig Pink" match, was led by senior Rachael Farrell who finished with 11 kills and a .474 hitting percentage. Farrell was joined by Ise d'Angelo (eight kills) and Bailey Kernodle (six kills) as the Dogs notched 43 kills and a .276 hitting percentage. Erin Bucherl's 17 digs anchored the back row defensive efforts, while three assisted blocks by teammate Lauren Hurt provided a solid front row. Freshman Mikaela Tracy dished out 34 assists as The Citadel moves to 5-22 overall.

N.C. A&T (1-26) had five players amass a kill, led by Andrea Evans, who finished with a team-high nine. Teammate TeBorah Hawkins tacked on eight as the Aggies struggled to find any offensive rhythm en route to 35 kills and a .111 hitting percentage. Defensively, Ashley Johnson tallied 24 digs, while Jeana Daniels managed five blocks.

Behind two kills each by Farrell and d'Angelo the Bulldogs established an early 9-5 lead over the visiting Aggies. Subsequent kills by Maxwell and Kernodle, combined with three unforced errors paved the way for a 16-9 Citadel advantage. The Citadel offense continued to click behind kills by Farrell and d'Angelo, moving the score to 22-16. The Cadets completed their 25-18 first set victory with kills by Maxwell and Farrell down the stretch.

The Bulldogs grabbed the early momentum of the second set and streaked out to an 11-4 lead, converting strikes by Farrell and Hurt, while capitalizing on six N.C. A&T unforced errors. The Citadel maintained its seven-point advantage, which eventually reached nine, 20-11, following a kill by Rudnik. Evans sparked the Aggies offense with a critical kill, as N.C. A&T scored four straight points, trimming the lead to 22-17. But, the Cadets staved off the run with a series of kills by Farrell and Kernodle as they completed the 25-22 victory.

N.C. A&T continued to make its surge at The Citadel entering the early stages of the third set, forcing five ties among the first 18 points of the match, including a 9-9 deadlock. The Bulldogs retaliated with a series of kills by Uribe, d'Angelo and Maxwell to move in front by four, 13-9. Despite the Aggies pulling within three on three occasions over the next seven points, the Cadets maintained their composure.  Three kills off the hand of d'Angelo, along with strikes by Rudnik and Hurt, gave the Dogs breathing room as The Citadel would go onto complete its third sweep of the season, 25-20.

The Citadel returns to Southern Conference action this weekend when the Bulldogs play host to Georgia Southern and Davidson. The Eagles visit McAlister Field House on Saturday evening at 6 p.m., followed by a Sunday afternoon match against Davidson, set for 3 p.m.