Greenville, S.C.  – Annie Bierman picked up her third 20 kill match of the season and led the Paladins past The Citadel, 3-1 (25-6, 24-26, 25-21, 26-24) on Sunday afternoon in Alley Gym. The win moves the Paladins to 8-10 on the season and 4-2 in SoCon play, while the loss drops The Citadel to 6-15 and 0-6 SoCon.

Bierman led the Paladins with 20 kills, while hitting .390 and adding 10 digs. Taina Joseph put down nine kills and added six blocks, while Hunter Thompson added a double-double of her own with 29 assists and 14 digs. The Paladins held the Bulldogs to a .095 hitting percentage and turned in 13 blocks to The Citadel’s five.

Furman opened up a 7-2 lead in set one, before The Citadel cut the lead to three at 7-4. Hunter Thompson then served Furman on an 8-0 run to give the Paladins a 16-4 lead. The Bulldogs cut the lead to 19-6, but freshman Lydia Morris served Furman on a 6-0 run to close out the first set, 25-6.

The teams traded points early in set two, before The Citadel opened up a 12-8 lead on the Paladins. Furman rallied to tie the set at 12, before the teams traded points until Furman opened its largest lead at 21-19. The Citadel rattled off three-straight points to take a 22-21 lead, before Furman rallied to tie the set at 24. The Paladins couldn’t overcome the deficit, however, as The Citadel took set two, 26-24, to tie the match at one.

The Citadel opened up an early 9-4 lead on the Paladins in set three, but Furman used a 7-1 run to take an 11-10 lead. The teams traded points until the Bulldogs used a 5-0 run of their own to take a 17-13 lead. Following a Furman timeout, Jordan McNeill served the Paladins on a 6-0 run to take a 19-17 lead. The teams then traded points until Furman got a kill from Christen Sikora to take set three, 25-21, for a 2-1 lead in the match.

The Citadel again opened up a big lead on the Paladins early in the fourth set, before Furman cut the lead to 12-11, forcing the Bulldogs to call a timeout. Jamila Johnson served Furman on a 5-0 run to give the Paladins a 16-13 lead, before Furman pushed the lead to four at 20-16. The Citadel used a 6-2 run to tie the set at 22, then again at 23 and 24, but Furman used a block and a kill by Annie Bierman to take the set, 26-24, and the match, 3-1.

Furman is back in action on Saturday, October 15, taking on Mercer in Macon in a 3 p.m. match.