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Samford and Furman advance to SoCon championship
No. 2 Samford, No. 8 Paladins win five-set matches in the semifinals
No. 8 Furman 3, No. 4 Chattanooga 2
GREENVILLE, S.C. – After losing the opening set, No. 8 Furman defeated No. 4 Chattanooga in a five-set thriller in the first semifinal match of the Southern Conference Volleyball Championship on Saturday in Furman’s Timmons Arena. Furman advances to the Southern Conference championship match for the first time since 2015, when the Paladins won the title via sweep over Chattanooga.
Chattanooga scored first to open the match on a kill from Natalie Tyson, a first-team all-conference selection, and jumped out to a 3-1 lead. Furman responded and took the lead after a kill from Kelsey Watkins made the score 5-4. The two teams alternated points after that until the score was tied at 7, at which point the Mocs went on a 6-0 run, punctuated by a service ace from Makenzie Jordan that forced Furman to take a timeout. The Paladins got a kill from all-freshman team selection Lauren Haynes to temporarily stop the Chattanooga run, but the Mocs would score four straight after the Haynes kill to lead 17-8, forcing another Furman timeout.
The Mocs got their lead up to 19-11 following a block from Elaine Redman and Sydney Hall. Furman got three straight points after the Chattanooga block to close the gap to five points following a block from Watkins and Mary Beth Headley. That is the closest that the Paladins would get for the remainder of the frame as the Mocs won the set 25-18 on a kill from Halle Olson.
In the second set, the two squads split the opening 10 points. Furman then scored three straight points to take an 8-5 lead following two kills from Headley and one from Haynes. Chattanooga then scored six straight points, all off turnovers from the Paladins, to go ahead 11-8. Furman answered with a 4-0 run to go ahead 12-11, punctuated by an ace from Andrea Aceveda. The Mocs would eventually get the lead back on a kill from Hall to make the score 15-14, which took the frame into a media timeout.
Following the break, Chattanooga scored three of the next four points to go up 18-15 on a service ace from Cassidy Couch, leading to a timeout call from Paladin coach Michelle Young. Furman came out after the break and got five straight points to make the score 20-18. The Mocs answered and regained the lead on a kill from Chloe Bryan that put Chattanooga ahead 23-22. After that Haynes got a kill and Aceveda got another ace to make it set point for the Paladins, forcing a Chattanooga timeout. Hall had a kill to tie the score at 24, but Furman would get the final two points of the frame to win 26-24 and tie the match at one set apiece.
Furman began the third set strong and got out to a 7-4 lead. Chattanooga responded with six straight points to go ahead 10-7 before the Paladins scored three of the next four points to tie the frame at 11. The next 14 points were split between the two squads before a kill from Sydney Tanner and an ace by Headley made the score 20-18, forcing a Chattanooga timeout. Tyson and Olson got kills out of the break to tie the score at 20, but Furman would score the next two points en route to getting a dramatic 25-23 win in the set after a kill from Morgan Cobb.
In the fourth set, the Mocs got out to an early 4-0 lead. Furman cut into the deficit, eventually tying the set at 6, before Chattanooga was able to get the lead back to 10-7 on a kill from Aleya Kennedy. The Paladins would then score five straight to go up 12-10 on yet another ace from Aceveda. The Mocs countered with a 5-0 run to go into the media timeout up 15-12, to which Furman responded with another five straight points to lead 17-15 after a block from Cobb and Grainne McGrath.
The Paladins continued to hold the lead late until a solo block from Hall put the Mocs up 21-20, forcing a Furman timeout. The two squads alternated points until a kill from Tyson made it set point in favor of the Mocs. The Paladins would take another timeout and tie the score at 24 after the break, but Tyson would get back-to-back kills to force a deciding set.
In the fifth set, Furman jumped out to an early 6-2 advantage after three straight kills from Cobb, forcing a timeout from the Mocs. The Paladins kept their lead at four points as the score went to 10-6. Chattanooga then scored five straight points to lead 11-10 following an error by Furman. The Mocs kept the lead and would go up 13-11 after a kill by Tyson, forcing a timeout by the Paladins. Furman went on a 3-0 run after the timeout to go ahead 14-13, leading to a Chattanooga timeout. A kill by Kennedy tied the frame at 14, but the Paladins would get kills from Cobb and Headley to end the set and advance to the finals.
Haynes (19 kills, 19 digs), Headley (18 kills, 19 digs) and Sarah Turner (32 assists, 13 digs) each finished with a double-double, while Cobb had 18 kills of her own. Aceveda had a team-high 24 digs. Tyson finished with a game-high 29 kills, completing the tournament with 54 kills in two matches, and 15 digs. Olson had a double-double, finishing with 10 kills and 16 digs. Second-team all-conference selection Paige Gallentine had a game-high 30 digs for Chattanooga. The match had a total of 44 ties and 20 lead changes.
No. 2 Samford 3, No. 3 Western Carolina 2
GREENVILLE, S.C. – No. 2 Samford collected a five-set win over No. 3 Western Carolina in the second semifinal match of the Southern Conference Volleyball Championship on Saturday in Furman’s Timmons Arena. Samford, who will be going for its fourth tournament title in the last five seasons, will face No. 8 Furman on Sunday, Nov. 20, at 4 p.m.
The Bulldogs defeated the Paladins 3-1 in both matches in the regular season, winning on Oct. 8 at Furman and Nov. 4 at home.
In the first set, Samford got out to a 4-1 lead following back-to-back kills by Kate Wonus. The Bulldogs would continue to increase their lead and following an ace by second-team all-conference selection Gracie Lynn Butler, Samford led 10-5. Western Carolina scored five of the next six points to get within one after Johnna Robinson and Bailey Hartsough combined for a block to make the score 11-10. That is the closest the frame would get as Samford led throughout the opening set, winning 25-22 to go ahead one set to none.
The Catamounts opened the second set fast as a kill from Livi Weidmann made the score 4-0. Western Carolina got its lead to 9-2 after an ace from Sarah Janourova, forcing a timeout from Samford. The Catamounts’ lead got into double digits following a kill by Weidmann that made the score 17-7, but the Bulldogs scored three straight points to respond. However, a kill by Sydney Carlson and an ace by Destinee Dorsey put Western Carolina ahead 19-10, prompting a timeout from Samford. The Bulldogs scored three straight points after the break, but Samford would not get closer than that as Robinson and Weidmann would eventually combine for a block to end the set 25-17 and tie the match at one set apiece.
The third set saw the first lead change of the match as SoCon Player of the Year Merry Gebel put the Catamounts ahead 2-1. With the set tied at 9, first-team all-conference selection Kenya McQuirter got back-to-back kills to put Samford ahead for good in the frame. Western Carolina made its last threat of the set when Brooklyn Poling had a kill to make the score 19-18, to which Samford answered with four straight points, punctuated by a kill from McQuirter. The set would end on a kill by Butler as the Bulldogs won 25-21 to go ahead two sets to one.
In the fourth set, the Catamounts immediately seized control, scoring the first five points of the frame. Western Carolina would keep the strong play going, pushing its lead to 10-3 as Samford called for a timeout. After the break, the Catamounts continued to dominate as their lead reached double digits when Hartsough got an ace to go ahead 17-7, prompting a Samford timeout. Following the timeout, Western Carolina outscored Samford 8-3 to win the set 25-10 after a kill from Gebel pushed the match into a fifth set.
The two teams split the first eight points of the fifth set before Butler got a kill and Sarah Farley Hayes got two straight aces to put Samford ahead 7-4, forcing a timeout from the Catamounts. The Bulldogs kept their run going after the break to get their lead to 11-5. Western Carolina countered by scoring six of the next seven points to close the gap to 12-11, but Samford would go on a 3-0 run to end the set 15-11, punctuated by SoCon Libero of the Year and second-team all-conference selection Kate Morgan’s service ace.
Four Bulldogs recorded double-digit kills, led by McQuirter’s 18, while Morgan finished with a match-high 23 digs. Kayla Keshock had a match-high 31 assists for Samford. Gebel finished with a double-double, logging 16 kills and 13 digs. Eden Punch had a match-high eight blocks for the Catamounts as Western Carolina had 17 total blocks as a team.
2022 Southern Conference Volleyball Championship
Greenville, South Carolina
Monday, Nov. 14
First Round
Match 1: No. 8 Furman 3, No. 9 UNCG 1
Friday, Nov. 18
Quarterfinals
Match 2: No. 4 Chattanooga 3, No. 5 Wofford 2
Match 3: No. 8 Furman 3, No. 1 ETSU 1
Match 4: No. 2 Samford 3, No. 7 The Citadel 2
Match 5: No. 3 Western Carolina 3, No. 6 Mercer 0
Saturday, Nov. 19
Semifinals
Match 6: No. 8 Furman 3, No. 4 Chattanooga 2
Match 7: No. 2 Samford 3, No. 3 Western Carolina 2
Sunday, Nov. 20
Championship
Match 8: No. 8 Furman vs. No. 2 Samford, 4 p.m. (ESPN+)
GREENVILLE, S.C. – After losing the opening set, No. 8 Furman defeated No. 4 Chattanooga in a five-set thriller in the first semifinal match of the Southern Conference Volleyball Championship on Saturday in Furman’s Timmons Arena. Furman advances to the Southern Conference championship match for the first time since 2015, when the Paladins won the title via sweep over Chattanooga.
Chattanooga scored first to open the match on a kill from Natalie Tyson, a first-team all-conference selection, and jumped out to a 3-1 lead. Furman responded and took the lead after a kill from Kelsey Watkins made the score 5-4. The two teams alternated points after that until the score was tied at 7, at which point the Mocs went on a 6-0 run, punctuated by a service ace from Makenzie Jordan that forced Furman to take a timeout. The Paladins got a kill from all-freshman team selection Lauren Haynes to temporarily stop the Chattanooga run, but the Mocs would score four straight after the Haynes kill to lead 17-8, forcing another Furman timeout.
The Mocs got their lead up to 19-11 following a block from Elaine Redman and Sydney Hall. Furman got three straight points after the Chattanooga block to close the gap to five points following a block from Watkins and Mary Beth Headley. That is the closest that the Paladins would get for the remainder of the frame as the Mocs won the set 25-18 on a kill from Halle Olson.
In the second set, the two squads split the opening 10 points. Furman then scored three straight points to take an 8-5 lead following two kills from Headley and one from Haynes. Chattanooga then scored six straight points, all off turnovers from the Paladins, to go ahead 11-8. Furman answered with a 4-0 run to go ahead 12-11, punctuated by an ace from Andrea Aceveda. The Mocs would eventually get the lead back on a kill from Hall to make the score 15-14, which took the frame into a media timeout.
Following the break, Chattanooga scored three of the next four points to go up 18-15 on a service ace from Cassidy Couch, leading to a timeout call from Paladin coach Michelle Young. Furman came out after the break and got five straight points to make the score 20-18. The Mocs answered and regained the lead on a kill from Chloe Bryan that put Chattanooga ahead 23-22. After that Haynes got a kill and Aceveda got another ace to make it set point for the Paladins, forcing a Chattanooga timeout. Hall had a kill to tie the score at 24, but Furman would get the final two points of the frame to win 26-24 and tie the match at one set apiece.
Furman began the third set strong and got out to a 7-4 lead. Chattanooga responded with six straight points to go ahead 10-7 before the Paladins scored three of the next four points to tie the frame at 11. The next 14 points were split between the two squads before a kill from Sydney Tanner and an ace by Headley made the score 20-18, forcing a Chattanooga timeout. Tyson and Olson got kills out of the break to tie the score at 20, but Furman would score the next two points en route to getting a dramatic 25-23 win in the set after a kill from Morgan Cobb.
In the fourth set, the Mocs got out to an early 4-0 lead. Furman cut into the deficit, eventually tying the set at 6, before Chattanooga was able to get the lead back to 10-7 on a kill from Aleya Kennedy. The Paladins would then score five straight to go up 12-10 on yet another ace from Aceveda. The Mocs countered with a 5-0 run to go into the media timeout up 15-12, to which Furman responded with another five straight points to lead 17-15 after a block from Cobb and Grainne McGrath.
The Paladins continued to hold the lead late until a solo block from Hall put the Mocs up 21-20, forcing a Furman timeout. The two squads alternated points until a kill from Tyson made it set point in favor of the Mocs. The Paladins would take another timeout and tie the score at 24 after the break, but Tyson would get back-to-back kills to force a deciding set.
In the fifth set, Furman jumped out to an early 6-2 advantage after three straight kills from Cobb, forcing a timeout from the Mocs. The Paladins kept their lead at four points as the score went to 10-6. Chattanooga then scored five straight points to lead 11-10 following an error by Furman. The Mocs kept the lead and would go up 13-11 after a kill by Tyson, forcing a timeout by the Paladins. Furman went on a 3-0 run after the timeout to go ahead 14-13, leading to a Chattanooga timeout. A kill by Kennedy tied the frame at 14, but the Paladins would get kills from Cobb and Headley to end the set and advance to the finals.
Haynes (19 kills, 19 digs), Headley (18 kills, 19 digs) and Sarah Turner (32 assists, 13 digs) each finished with a double-double, while Cobb had 18 kills of her own. Aceveda had a team-high 24 digs. Tyson finished with a game-high 29 kills, completing the tournament with 54 kills in two matches, and 15 digs. Olson had a double-double, finishing with 10 kills and 16 digs. Second-team all-conference selection Paige Gallentine had a game-high 30 digs for Chattanooga. The match had a total of 44 ties and 20 lead changes.
No. 2 Samford 3, No. 3 Western Carolina 2
GREENVILLE, S.C. – No. 2 Samford collected a five-set win over No. 3 Western Carolina in the second semifinal match of the Southern Conference Volleyball Championship on Saturday in Furman’s Timmons Arena. Samford, who will be going for its fourth tournament title in the last five seasons, will face No. 8 Furman on Sunday, Nov. 20, at 4 p.m.
The Bulldogs defeated the Paladins 3-1 in both matches in the regular season, winning on Oct. 8 at Furman and Nov. 4 at home.
In the first set, Samford got out to a 4-1 lead following back-to-back kills by Kate Wonus. The Bulldogs would continue to increase their lead and following an ace by second-team all-conference selection Gracie Lynn Butler, Samford led 10-5. Western Carolina scored five of the next six points to get within one after Johnna Robinson and Bailey Hartsough combined for a block to make the score 11-10. That is the closest the frame would get as Samford led throughout the opening set, winning 25-22 to go ahead one set to none.
The Catamounts opened the second set fast as a kill from Livi Weidmann made the score 4-0. Western Carolina got its lead to 9-2 after an ace from Sarah Janourova, forcing a timeout from Samford. The Catamounts’ lead got into double digits following a kill by Weidmann that made the score 17-7, but the Bulldogs scored three straight points to respond. However, a kill by Sydney Carlson and an ace by Destinee Dorsey put Western Carolina ahead 19-10, prompting a timeout from Samford. The Bulldogs scored three straight points after the break, but Samford would not get closer than that as Robinson and Weidmann would eventually combine for a block to end the set 25-17 and tie the match at one set apiece.
The third set saw the first lead change of the match as SoCon Player of the Year Merry Gebel put the Catamounts ahead 2-1. With the set tied at 9, first-team all-conference selection Kenya McQuirter got back-to-back kills to put Samford ahead for good in the frame. Western Carolina made its last threat of the set when Brooklyn Poling had a kill to make the score 19-18, to which Samford answered with four straight points, punctuated by a kill from McQuirter. The set would end on a kill by Butler as the Bulldogs won 25-21 to go ahead two sets to one.
In the fourth set, the Catamounts immediately seized control, scoring the first five points of the frame. Western Carolina would keep the strong play going, pushing its lead to 10-3 as Samford called for a timeout. After the break, the Catamounts continued to dominate as their lead reached double digits when Hartsough got an ace to go ahead 17-7, prompting a Samford timeout. Following the timeout, Western Carolina outscored Samford 8-3 to win the set 25-10 after a kill from Gebel pushed the match into a fifth set.
The two teams split the first eight points of the fifth set before Butler got a kill and Sarah Farley Hayes got two straight aces to put Samford ahead 7-4, forcing a timeout from the Catamounts. The Bulldogs kept their run going after the break to get their lead to 11-5. Western Carolina countered by scoring six of the next seven points to close the gap to 12-11, but Samford would go on a 3-0 run to end the set 15-11, punctuated by SoCon Libero of the Year and second-team all-conference selection Kate Morgan’s service ace.
Four Bulldogs recorded double-digit kills, led by McQuirter’s 18, while Morgan finished with a match-high 23 digs. Kayla Keshock had a match-high 31 assists for Samford. Gebel finished with a double-double, logging 16 kills and 13 digs. Eden Punch had a match-high eight blocks for the Catamounts as Western Carolina had 17 total blocks as a team.
2022 Southern Conference Volleyball Championship
Greenville, South Carolina
Monday, Nov. 14
First Round
Match 1: No. 8 Furman 3, No. 9 UNCG 1
Friday, Nov. 18
Quarterfinals
Match 2: No. 4 Chattanooga 3, No. 5 Wofford 2
Match 3: No. 8 Furman 3, No. 1 ETSU 1
Match 4: No. 2 Samford 3, No. 7 The Citadel 2
Match 5: No. 3 Western Carolina 3, No. 6 Mercer 0
Saturday, Nov. 19
Semifinals
Match 6: No. 8 Furman 3, No. 4 Chattanooga 2
Match 7: No. 2 Samford 3, No. 3 Western Carolina 2
Sunday, Nov. 20
Championship
Match 8: No. 8 Furman vs. No. 2 Samford, 4 p.m. (ESPN+)