Furman 3, Georgia Southern 2
STATESBORO, GA - The Georgia Southern volleyball team held Furman to a 2-0 deficit at intermission, but could not hold onto the lead as Furman survived to take the five-set match, 3-2, Friday night in Hanner Fieldhouse. The Paladins fought back, bringing the match down to a decisive fifth set. Despite Georgia Southern fighting off one match point, Furman improved to 19-3 overall and 11-0 in Southern Conference play. Georgia Southern dropped to 17-9 on the season and 7-4 in league play.
"This was definitely a hard-fought match and a heartbreaker for us. It certainly has championship implications now that we are closing in on the end of our season, as do the remainder of our matches," said head coach Chad Callihan. "Furman played a very clean match, committing only 16 errors in five sets, and used that to their advantage. They were a tough opponent tonight and simply found a way to make a couple more plays than we did. But our season is not over and we need to come out strong tomorrow against a tough Wofford team."
Parker Small (Charlotte, N.C.) posted a career-high 19 kills as Lauren Claybaugh (Danville, Calif.) and Bethany Sanford (Avondale, Ariz.) recorded double-doubles for the Eagles. Claybaugh raked up 14 kills on five errors with 20 digs, a career-high, for her fourth double-double of the season. Sanford, meanwhile, drew her 14th double-double of the season off 18 kills and 22 digs. Sanford's 22 digs also marked a season-best for the sophomore Eagle and a team-high. Freshman setter Kate Van Dyke (Shawnee, Kan.) tallied 54 assists on the evening.
"I thought both Parker [Small] and Bethany [Sanford] had strong matches for us tonight," said Callihan. "We've been asking Bethany to be more aggressive offensively and I thought she did a really good job of that tonight, especially down the stretch. She really provided us an offensive punch in the fifth set and stepped up like we've been asking her to."
The Eagles hit .254 for the match to Furman's .277. The Paladins were led by Kelly Kirby with 16 kills and Stephanie Smith with 23 digs. Kelsey Salava totaled 46 assists on the night as both Alexis Shaffer and Caroline Adams produced four block assists each.
The Eagles came out firing in the opening set, jumping out to a 6-0 lead that set the pace for the remainder of the stanza. Sanford and Small led the Eagles with five kills each as Georgia Southern stunned Furman in the opening set, 25-22. Furman looked on pace in the second set, taking an early lead, holding the Eagles to four points at 9-4. But a 4-0 run at 11-6 clipped the Eagles to within one point at 11-10. A Claybaugh kill tied the set at 15-all as the teams tied the set twice thereafter before Georgia Southern held onto the lead for a 25-21 second set win.
Coming back from the break, Furman opened the third set much like the second. After two early lead changes, the Paladins pulled away from the Eagles and secured the third set, 25-20. At 15-all in the fourth set, Furman took a three-point lead, 18-15, with two kills and a service ace. Senior Cristin Haines (Palos Heights, Ill.) pulled the Eagles to within one point at 19-18, but Furman maintained control and closed out the fourth set, 25-20.
Georgia Southern jumped out to an early 5-1 lead in the deciding fifth set. But Furman responded reeling off six consecutive points to take the lead, 7-5. After four ties, two lead changes and one saved match point on a Small kill, the conference foes knotted the score at 14-apiece. Natalie Braun gave Furman second match point as the Paladins forced an Eagle error to secure the win, 16-14.
Georgia Southern will look to rebound from the heartbreaking five-set loss Saturday when it takes on Wofford. On Halloween, the Eagles will look to complete a season sweep over the Terriers in Hanner Fieldhouse. Fans dressed in Halloween costumes will receive free admission to the match and be automatically entered into a halftime costume contest. Match time between the two rival schools is set for 7 p.m.
Davidson 3, Wofford 1
DAVIDSON, N.C. - Behind double-digit kills from Sarabeth Peele and Jorden Benedict, the Davidson Wildcat volleyball team extended its winning streak to three matches with a 3-1 (25-22, 15-25, 25-16, 25-22) win over the Wofford Terriers Friday night at Belk Arena.
Peele tallied 17 kills and 13 digs to lead Davidson (7-20, 4-7), and Benedict posted 12 kills on just 23 swings to hit a team-high .478. Setter Anna Bradbury finished with a match-best 46 assists and four service aces, and libero Molly Crenshaw led three players in double-figures with 21 digs. Christine Perzinski added 15 digs.
Wofford (17-10, 4-7) had a pair of hitters in double figures as well in Shanna Hughes and Rachel Woodlee, with 11 and 10 kills, respectively. Hughes also had 12 digs, as did Reagan Styles, and libero Sarah Palmer led all players with 30.
Davidson took a 4-1 lead to open the match and controlled play for the first half of the set. But Wofford used back-to-back putaways from Suddath and Hughes to knot the frame at 10 and, after trading points, Peele and Benedict put Davidson ahead, 14-11. Wofford, though, answered with a 5-0 run to take a 16-14 lead, before the 'Cats won three of the next four scores to even the set at 17. Catelyn Amende won the next point for the Terriers, but it would be the final time Wofford would lead in the game, as the 'Cats took the opener, 25-22.
Wofford controlled the second set, opening a large lead behind a couple of extended runs to roll to the 25-15 decision. The Terriers opened with a 7-3 run to set the tone, before winning five straight points to pull ahead 16-9. Davidson would win three points on kills from Benedict and Perzinski to close within four, but a late 7-1 run would put the game away and even the match.
After the break, the third set played out in reverse, with Davidson taking an 8-3 lead on two kills from Peele and a pair of aces from Bradbury. Wofford went 6-3, including a pair of kills from each Stacy Byrd and Suddath to force Davidson into a timeout with the slight 11-9 lead. Lupfer and Perzinski put the distance back, but the Terriers would make one final attempt at a rally, pulling within two at 14-12 on a Woodlee putaway and a pair of Wildcat errors. Davidson squelched it with an 11-4 run to take a 2-1 lead in the match with the 25-16 win.
The match looked headed for a fifth set as Wofford took an 11-6 lead to begin the fourth frame, but Davidson battled to within a score, 11-10, on kills from Peele and Lupfer. The 'Cats stayed close, but behind at least three scores until trailing 16-13, Bradbury served nine straight points to put Davidson in control, 22-16. A 4-1 Terrier rally made it 23-20 and forced Davidson into a timeout, and Wofford would fight off a pair of match points before Lupfer punched home the winner in the 25-22 decision.
Winners of three straight Southern Conference matches, the Davidson Wildcats will return to action tomorrow against league-leading Furman (19-3, 11-0) at 4 p.m. in Belk Arena. The Paladins remain undefeated in league play after surviving a five-set scare (22-25, 21-25, 25-20, 25-20, 16-14) at Georgia Southern Friday night.
Photo Credit: Southern Conference
