Furman 3, Chattanooga 2
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Down 6-9 in the third set, Furman closed out the set on a 9-3 run to win the deciding set, 15-12, and hand Chattanooga its first loss in SoCon play. With the win, Furman moves to 11-5 on the season, 5-1 in SoCon play, and regains possession of first place in the conference. The loss, Chattanooga’s first in 11 matches, drops the Mocs to 15-3 on the year and 4-1 in SoCon play.
Annie Bierman led the Paladins with a career-high-tying 28 kills and .403 hitting percentage, adding 15 digs for her team-leading 11th double-double of the season. Caitlyn Scioscia led the team with a career-high 19 digs, while Ashton Stocker came off the bench and put down eight kills and 14 assists, adding three key blocks.
Set three was all Chattanooga as the Mocs doubled-up the Paladins early at 18-9. Out of a timeout, Furman used a 9-1 run, fueled by Caitlyn Scioscia’s serving, to cut the lead to one at 19-18. Chattanooga then used a 4-1 run to push the lead back to four and held on to the lead to take the set, 25-22, and cut Furman’s match-lead to 2-1.
The teams traded points from the opening serve in set four, before Furman used a 5-1 run to take a 20-18 lead and force the Mocs to take the first timeout of the set. Furman then pushed the lead to three at 23-20, but Chattanooga would rally, fighting off match points from Furman to take set four, 27-25, and force a fifth set.
The Mocs again jumped out to an early lead in the fifth set, but fueled by three kills and two blocks by Ashton Stocker, Furman closed out the match on a 9-3 run to win it, 15-12, and the match, 3-2.
Furman is back in action tomorrow as it travels to Greensboro, N.C., for a 7 p.m. matchup with UNCG.
ETSU 3, Samford 0
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The ETSU volleyball team won its fourth straight match Friday night as it defeated Samford, 3-0 (26-24, 27-25, 25-17). The Bucs, who are now 13-5 and 4-1 in league action, own a record of 9-1 in their last 10 matches.
Both the Bucs and Bulldogs were hitting on all cylinders in the first set as they hit .387 and .345, respectively. ETSU scored back-to-back points when the score was knotted at 24-24 to take the first set, 26-24. Khadijah Wiley and Briana Allmon powered ETSU’s offense with six kills each and Kristen Favre dished out 13 assists.
ETSU looked like it seized the momentum early as it went on a 4-0 run to give it a 9-5 lead. The Bucs grew their lead to seven at 21-14 but Samford rallied to score 10 of the next 11 points to take a 24-22 lead. Despite losing their early lead, the Buccaneers got three critical kills by Rylee Milhorn and another from Mariah McPartland to take the second set, 27-25.
Unlike the first two sets, the third was not an offensive shootout. The Bulldogs were hampered by miscues as they committed six attack errors coupled with three service errors to give the Bucs a 25-17 win in the third. The Bucs continued to hit well in the third, as they were attacked at a .409 clip.
ETSU will continue on its three-match road swing Wednesday when it travels to Western Carolina. The matchup against the Catamounts is set to begin at 7 p.m.
Mercer 3, Western Carolina 1
MACON, Ga. – The Mercer volleyball team continued its dominance at Hawkins Arena on Friday evening, posting a 3-1 victory over Western Carolina in a Southern Conference matchup.
The Bears and Catamounts played a very even first frame but Mercer did just enough to pull out the win in the first by a score of 25-23. Western Carolina stormed back in the second and evened the match at one set apiece by winning the stanza 25-16.
The Orange and Black came out refocused after the 10-minute intermission and claimed the third set by a mark of 25-19 to pull within one frame of taking the victory. Mercer used the momentum from the third and carried it to the fourth set, as the Bears won rather comfortably 25-17 to cement the 3-1 match victory.
Sophomore Morgan MacGilvary posted a career-best 19 kills in the four-set triumph, marking the most of any Mercer player this season. The outside hitter accrued 43 attack attempts and finished the evening with a hitting percentage of .349. MacGilvary also added seven digs, two aces, two blocks and an assist to complete her performance.
Sophomore Emily Krogman was efficient in the attack on Friday, posting a hitting percentage of .526. The San Diego, Calif., native put down 11 kills on 19 attempts with just one error. The 11 kills are the most from Krogman this season and her hitting percentage is her best in 2015 in matches she recorded at least five kills.
Mercer’s record rises to 6-11 on the season and 2-4 in SoCon play. The Catamounts drop to 7-14 in 2015 and 1-4 in league action.
Mercer has a quick turnaround, as the Bears are back in action on Saturday for a matinée against SoCon foe Wofford. The match will be played in Hawkins Arena and is slated to begin at 3 p.m.