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No. 4 Samford, No. 1 The Citadel advance to SoCon semifinals
Samford rallies to defeat Furman; The Citadel tops ETSU in straight sets
No. 4 Samford 3, No. 5 Furman 2
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – In a matchup between the two teams that played in last season’s conference tournament final, fourth-seeded Samford downed No. 5 Furman, 3-2, in Friday’s first match at the Southern Conference Volleyball Championship. The Bulldogs advance to face the winner of No. 1 The Citadel and No. 8 ETSU in the semifinals, slated for Saturday, Nov. 18, at 5 p.m. in Wofford’s Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium.
In the first set, Samford got on the board first via a service error by Furman. The Bulldogs scored the first four points of the match and eventually built an 8-3 advantage, forcing a timeout by the Paladins. After the break, Furman was able to close the gap to one later in the set when the score stood at 13-12, but Samford responded with a 4-1 run to make the score 17-13 in its favor, prompting a second timeout from the Paladins.
The Bulldogs continued to keep their advantage late into the set, leading 23-19 and needing only two points to win the frame. Furman then went on a 5-0 run to take its first lead of the set, punctuated by back-to-back kills from Izzy Castelloe, an all-freshman team selection. A seesaw battle ensued over the next seven points to make the score tied 27-27. The Paladins would then get a kill from second-team all-conference performer Mary Beth Headley followed by an attack error from the Bulldogs to win the frame 29-27.
Samford began the second set with a fast start as a kill by Greer Golden made the score 10-5. Furman then scored six of the next seven points to tie the score at 11. The two squads split the next six points before a kill by Castelloe put the Paladins up 15-14 and the match headed into the media timeout.
With the score sitting at 20-18 in favor of Furman, Samford scored three straight points after kills from Kate Morgan, Golden and Ally Cordes, forcing a timeout by the Paladins. The score would stand tied at 23-23 later in the set before an attack error by Furman and the Bulldogs’ Kate Wonus and Kayla Keshock combined for a block to end the frame 25-23, tying the match at a set apiece.
The tight play continued in the third set as the score was tied 10-10 after 20 points had been played. Furman scored the next four points, forcing Samford to take a timeout. The Bulldogs responded by going on an 8-3 run to take an 18-17 lead, leading to a timeout from the Paladins. The back-and-forth affair continued as the score stood tied at 21-21 late in the frame. Furman would run off four straight points after that, ending with a kill from Headley to put the Paladins up two sets to one following a 25-21 victory in the set.
In the fourth set, Furman scored the first three points before Samford went on a run to go up 10-6 following a kill by Cordes. The Bulldogs rode that momentum to a 15-11 advantage at the media timeout after a block by Wonus. After the timeout, Samford scored the next point before Furman scored the next three to make the score 16-14 in favor of Samford, prompting a timeout by the Bulldogs.
Samford would regain control after the break and eventually gets its lead up to 23-18 late in the frame. Furman got the next point before the Bulldogs got back-to-back kills from Golden and Kaleigh Meritt, the Rayna Taylor Freshman of the Year and a first-team all-conference performer, to win the frame 25-19 and send the match to a fifth set.
In the deciding set, Samford scored the first seven points. Furman would take both of its timeouts during that run. The two teams would split the next eight points, giving Samford an 11-4 advantage.
Furman would score five of the next seven points and following a kill by Castelloe, the Paladins trailed 13-9. Samford took a timeout at that point. First-team all-conference player Gracie Lynn Butler got a kill for the Bulldogs after the break to bring the contest to match point. Furman responded by scoring the next three points before a kill by Cordes ended the set and the match.
In a match that saw 27 ties and 14 lead changes, Samford led the final frame wire-to-wire.
Butler led Samford with a match-high 21 kills and a career-high 27 digs. Meritt had a double-double as well for the Bulldogs, finishing with 14 kills and 15 digs. Kate Morgan led Samford in digs with 30. Five Paladins had double-digit kills, led by Headley’s 19. Furman libero Kennedy Seekford had a match-high 38 digs and Emily Navarro, an all-freshman team selection, finished with a match-high 50 assists for the Paladins.
No. 1 The Citadel 3, No. 8 ETSU 0
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Top seed The Citadel defeated No. 8 ETSU in straight sets in Friday’s second quarterfinal match at the Southern Conference Volleyball Championship. The Citadel will now face fourth-seeded Samford, the defending tournament champion, in the semifinal round scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 18, at 5 p.m. in Wofford’s Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium.
The Citadel’s victory marked the first time since the 2020-21 SoCon tournament that the No. 1 seed was not upset in its opening match of the championship.
The Bulldogs got off to a strong start and held an 8-3 lead in the first set following a solo block from second-team all-conference performer Gina DeLancey. ETSU rattled off the next seven points, punctuated by a kill from Lundyn Coffman which led to a Bulldogs timeout.
Following a service ace by Enisilina Savelio for ETSU made the score 19-17 in favor of The Citadel, the Bulldogs went on a 5-0 run to get to set point. Two points later, SoCon Player of the Year Ali Ruffin got a kill to end the set at 25-18, giving the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead in the contest.
The two teams split the first 12 points of the second set before the Bulldogs scored three straight points to lead 9-6. ETSU would slowly get back in the set and tie the score at 13-13 after a kill from Abbey Thomas. The middle of the set would follow that same trend until the frame was tied 22-22. The next six points were split between the two teams, tying the score at 25-25. Ruffin would then get a kill and SoCon Libero of the Year Jaelynn Elgert got a service ace on the next point to end the set and put the Bulldogs up two sets to none.
After splitting the first 10 points with ETSU in the third set, The Citadel went ahead and began creating space between them and the Buccaneers. A four-point run in the middle of the frame made the score 16-11 in favor of The Citadel, but ETSU would not go down quietly. Coffman had back-to-back kills to make the score 17-15, forcing The Citadel to take a timeout.
The Buccaneers would tie the score on two different occasions after that; however, the Bulldogs always had an answer. With the set tied 18-18, The Citadel scored three straight points after a service error and kills by Belle Hogan, a first-team all-conference selection and the SoCon Setter of the Year, and Ruffin, making ETSU take a timeout. The score never got closer than two for the rest of the set as back-to-back kills from Kathleen Bula gave the Bulldogs a 25-21 win and secured the sweep.
Ruffin finished with a double-double, logging a game-high 14 kills and 10 digs. Elgert finished with a game-high 24 digs and Hogan had 35 assists to lead all players in that category. Brianna Cantrell had 13 kills to lead ETSU. The Citadel hit .268 to ETSU’s .075.
2023 Southern Conference Volleyball Championship
Spartanburg, South Carolina
Tuesday, Nov. 14
First Round
Match 1: No. 8 ETSU 3, No. 9 UNCG 1 (at ETSU)
Friday, Nov. 17
Quarterfinals
Match 2: No. 4 Samford 3, No. 5 Furman 2
Match 3: No. 1 The Citadel 3, No. 8 ETSU 0
Match 4: No. 2 Mercer vs. No. 7 Chattanooga, 5 p.m.
Match 5: No. 3 Wofford vs. No. 6 Western Carolina, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 18
Semifinals
Match 6: No. 4 Samford vs. No. 1 The Citadel, 5 p.m.
Match 7: Match 4 winner vs. Match 5 winner, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 19
Championship
Match 8: Match 6 winner vs. Match 7 winner, 4 p.m.
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – In a matchup between the two teams that played in last season’s conference tournament final, fourth-seeded Samford downed No. 5 Furman, 3-2, in Friday’s first match at the Southern Conference Volleyball Championship. The Bulldogs advance to face the winner of No. 1 The Citadel and No. 8 ETSU in the semifinals, slated for Saturday, Nov. 18, at 5 p.m. in Wofford’s Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium.
In the first set, Samford got on the board first via a service error by Furman. The Bulldogs scored the first four points of the match and eventually built an 8-3 advantage, forcing a timeout by the Paladins. After the break, Furman was able to close the gap to one later in the set when the score stood at 13-12, but Samford responded with a 4-1 run to make the score 17-13 in its favor, prompting a second timeout from the Paladins.
The Bulldogs continued to keep their advantage late into the set, leading 23-19 and needing only two points to win the frame. Furman then went on a 5-0 run to take its first lead of the set, punctuated by back-to-back kills from Izzy Castelloe, an all-freshman team selection. A seesaw battle ensued over the next seven points to make the score tied 27-27. The Paladins would then get a kill from second-team all-conference performer Mary Beth Headley followed by an attack error from the Bulldogs to win the frame 29-27.
Samford began the second set with a fast start as a kill by Greer Golden made the score 10-5. Furman then scored six of the next seven points to tie the score at 11. The two squads split the next six points before a kill by Castelloe put the Paladins up 15-14 and the match headed into the media timeout.
With the score sitting at 20-18 in favor of Furman, Samford scored three straight points after kills from Kate Morgan, Golden and Ally Cordes, forcing a timeout by the Paladins. The score would stand tied at 23-23 later in the set before an attack error by Furman and the Bulldogs’ Kate Wonus and Kayla Keshock combined for a block to end the frame 25-23, tying the match at a set apiece.
The tight play continued in the third set as the score was tied 10-10 after 20 points had been played. Furman scored the next four points, forcing Samford to take a timeout. The Bulldogs responded by going on an 8-3 run to take an 18-17 lead, leading to a timeout from the Paladins. The back-and-forth affair continued as the score stood tied at 21-21 late in the frame. Furman would run off four straight points after that, ending with a kill from Headley to put the Paladins up two sets to one following a 25-21 victory in the set.
In the fourth set, Furman scored the first three points before Samford went on a run to go up 10-6 following a kill by Cordes. The Bulldogs rode that momentum to a 15-11 advantage at the media timeout after a block by Wonus. After the timeout, Samford scored the next point before Furman scored the next three to make the score 16-14 in favor of Samford, prompting a timeout by the Bulldogs.
Samford would regain control after the break and eventually gets its lead up to 23-18 late in the frame. Furman got the next point before the Bulldogs got back-to-back kills from Golden and Kaleigh Meritt, the Rayna Taylor Freshman of the Year and a first-team all-conference performer, to win the frame 25-19 and send the match to a fifth set.
In the deciding set, Samford scored the first seven points. Furman would take both of its timeouts during that run. The two teams would split the next eight points, giving Samford an 11-4 advantage.
Furman would score five of the next seven points and following a kill by Castelloe, the Paladins trailed 13-9. Samford took a timeout at that point. First-team all-conference player Gracie Lynn Butler got a kill for the Bulldogs after the break to bring the contest to match point. Furman responded by scoring the next three points before a kill by Cordes ended the set and the match.
In a match that saw 27 ties and 14 lead changes, Samford led the final frame wire-to-wire.
Butler led Samford with a match-high 21 kills and a career-high 27 digs. Meritt had a double-double as well for the Bulldogs, finishing with 14 kills and 15 digs. Kate Morgan led Samford in digs with 30. Five Paladins had double-digit kills, led by Headley’s 19. Furman libero Kennedy Seekford had a match-high 38 digs and Emily Navarro, an all-freshman team selection, finished with a match-high 50 assists for the Paladins.
No. 1 The Citadel 3, No. 8 ETSU 0
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Top seed The Citadel defeated No. 8 ETSU in straight sets in Friday’s second quarterfinal match at the Southern Conference Volleyball Championship. The Citadel will now face fourth-seeded Samford, the defending tournament champion, in the semifinal round scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 18, at 5 p.m. in Wofford’s Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium.
The Citadel’s victory marked the first time since the 2020-21 SoCon tournament that the No. 1 seed was not upset in its opening match of the championship.
The Bulldogs got off to a strong start and held an 8-3 lead in the first set following a solo block from second-team all-conference performer Gina DeLancey. ETSU rattled off the next seven points, punctuated by a kill from Lundyn Coffman which led to a Bulldogs timeout.
Following a service ace by Enisilina Savelio for ETSU made the score 19-17 in favor of The Citadel, the Bulldogs went on a 5-0 run to get to set point. Two points later, SoCon Player of the Year Ali Ruffin got a kill to end the set at 25-18, giving the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead in the contest.
The two teams split the first 12 points of the second set before the Bulldogs scored three straight points to lead 9-6. ETSU would slowly get back in the set and tie the score at 13-13 after a kill from Abbey Thomas. The middle of the set would follow that same trend until the frame was tied 22-22. The next six points were split between the two teams, tying the score at 25-25. Ruffin would then get a kill and SoCon Libero of the Year Jaelynn Elgert got a service ace on the next point to end the set and put the Bulldogs up two sets to none.
After splitting the first 10 points with ETSU in the third set, The Citadel went ahead and began creating space between them and the Buccaneers. A four-point run in the middle of the frame made the score 16-11 in favor of The Citadel, but ETSU would not go down quietly. Coffman had back-to-back kills to make the score 17-15, forcing The Citadel to take a timeout.
The Buccaneers would tie the score on two different occasions after that; however, the Bulldogs always had an answer. With the set tied 18-18, The Citadel scored three straight points after a service error and kills by Belle Hogan, a first-team all-conference selection and the SoCon Setter of the Year, and Ruffin, making ETSU take a timeout. The score never got closer than two for the rest of the set as back-to-back kills from Kathleen Bula gave the Bulldogs a 25-21 win and secured the sweep.
Ruffin finished with a double-double, logging a game-high 14 kills and 10 digs. Elgert finished with a game-high 24 digs and Hogan had 35 assists to lead all players in that category. Brianna Cantrell had 13 kills to lead ETSU. The Citadel hit .268 to ETSU’s .075.
2023 Southern Conference Volleyball Championship
Spartanburg, South Carolina
Tuesday, Nov. 14
First Round
Match 1: No. 8 ETSU 3, No. 9 UNCG 1 (at ETSU)
Friday, Nov. 17
Quarterfinals
Match 2: No. 4 Samford 3, No. 5 Furman 2
Match 3: No. 1 The Citadel 3, No. 8 ETSU 0
Match 4: No. 2 Mercer vs. No. 7 Chattanooga, 5 p.m.
Match 5: No. 3 Wofford vs. No. 6 Western Carolina, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 18
Semifinals
Match 6: No. 4 Samford vs. No. 1 The Citadel, 5 p.m.
Match 7: Match 4 winner vs. Match 5 winner, 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 19
Championship
Match 8: Match 6 winner vs. Match 7 winner, 4 p.m.