No. 2 Furman 3, No. 7 Mercer 1
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Second-seeded Furman earned a four-set win (25-22, 19-25, 25-13, 25-20) over No. 7 seed Mercer in the quarterfinal round of the Southern Conference Volleyball Championship on Saturday at the Ramsey Center on the campus of Western Carolina. The Paladins move to 19-8 on the season and will face No. 3 seed UNCG on Sunday in the semifinals.
All-freshman selection Jamila Johnson led Furman by tying a career-high with 17 kills, and SoCon Player of the Year Annie Bierman, a junior outside hitter, tacked on 14 kills and 18 digs. Senior setter Jo Wilks posted 48 assists and helped the Paladins hit .250 for the match.
Mercer’s offensive effort was headlined by sophomore middle blocker Emily Krogman, who recorded 13 kills on a .400 hitting percentage. She was joined in double-figure kills by sophomore outside hitter Morgan McGilvary (12) and junior outside hitter Ellie James (11). Junior libero Tori Penrod had 28 digs for the Bears, while all-freshman Paige Alsten tallied four blocks in the match to set a Mercer record for blocks in a season with 135.
Fueled by four kills each from Annie Bierman and Jamila Johnson, Furman took a hard-fought first set 25-22. The Paladins were able to recover after a slow start that saw Mercer claim the first three points of the match. The Bears were able to maintain the lead until a 4-0 Furman run that gave the Paladins the lead, 19-18. Carris Campbell finally helped Furman move out in front for good with a kill and a set-sealing block on consecutive points.
Mercer got off to another fast start in set two, taking a 9-3 lead. The Paladins trimmed the Bears’ lead to five points midway through the set on a Hunter Thompson ace, but McGilvary responded the next point with a kill, giving Mercer a 21-15 advantage. The Bears did not look back from there – a kill and a block from James on back-to-back points gave Mercer the set, 25-19.
The Paladins took control from the outset of set three and ran out to a 14-5 lead, and their lead grew to 11 points at 24-13. A block by Amelia Bohlander and Christen Sikora put the finishing touches on a dominant 25-13 frame for coach Michelle Young’s squad.
Mercer recovered, at least initially, in the third set. The Bears clawed their way to a 9-6 advantage, and then a 14-9 lead moments later. Bierman kept the Paladins in it with three consecutive kills to pull them within two at 14-12. An ace from Bierman tied the set at 16-all, and Furman gained its first advantage, 17-16, since leading 1-0 on an attack error from Jordan Gollon. The Bears came back with two straight points on a service error and a block from Gollon and Monica Johnson, but used four straight points to take a 22-18 lead. From there, Jamila Johnson powered home a kill on an assist from Wilks to give Furman the set, 25-20, and the win, 3-1.
Furman’s semifinal clash with UNCG is set for 4:30 p.m. on Sunday.
No. 3 UNCG 3, No. 6 Wofford 1
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – After falling in the first set, third-seeded UNCG rallied to take the next three sets and beat No. 6 seed Wofford 3-1 (15-25, 25-20, 25-21, 25-13) in the Southern Conference Volleyball Championship quarterfinals on Saturday night in the Ramsey Center on the campus of Western Carolina. The Spartans, now 22-10 on the season, will take on No. 2 seed Furman on Sunday in the semifinals.
Sophomore outside hitter Ashley Muench, a first-team All-SoCon selection, chipped in a match-high 15 kills and added 14 digs for UNCG, while freshman of the year Allison Penner dished out 44 assists. Defensively, libero of the year Katherine Santiago collected 21 digs for the Spartans.
On the losing side, sophomore outside hitter Alex Holland put down 12 kills, while senior libero Jessica Graham had a match-high 23 digs for Wofford.
Wofford set the tone in the first set. The Terriers took a 5-4 lead and did not look back, downing UNCG in decisive fashion, 25-15. Wofford closed out the set on a 4-0 run on a kill from Holland, followed by two kills from freshman middle blocker Colleen Reilly and a set-clinching kill by redshirt freshman Lauren Miller.
UNCG recovered in the second set. The Spartans used a 5-0 run to take 9-6 lead early on, and coach Corey Carlin’s team held the lead for the rest of the way. With the Terriers within three points at 20-17, the Spartans got a block from Muench and freshman Jasmine Jones before redshirt senior Julia Westerbur put down a kill to make it 22-17. Holland countered with two kills for Wofford, but eventually Jones closed out the set for the Spartans, 25-20, with a kill down the middle of the court
Wofford returned to its first-set form early in the third set. The Terriers got out to a 9-4 lead and forced a UNCG timeout, which seemed to settle the Spartans down. UNCG came out of the break and strung together a 6-0 run to take an 11-10 lead. UNCG kept pressing, earning a 23-17 advantage before holding off a late Terrier surge that included Miller and Reilly teaming up for two blocks. Muench punctuated the third set for UNCG with a kill down the right side, giving the Spartans the frame, 25-21, and a 2-1 lead in the match.
UNCG led the fourth set wire-to-wire. The Spartans jumped out to a 7-2 lead, which Wofford was able to trim to two points at 10-8. That was the closest the Terriers would get, though, as the Spartans closed the fourth set on a 15-5 run. Jones clinched the match and UNCG’s spot in the semifinals with a kill off a Penner assist.
The Spartans’ showdown with Furman in the semifinals is slated for a 4:30 p.m. start on Sunday.
-www.SoConSports.com-