Furman Rallies to Win Volleyball Title, 3-2

Furman 3, College of Charleston 2

SLIDESHOW

GREENSBORO, N.C. ? The Furman Lady Paladins ended their remarkable run through the 2008 Southern Conference Tournament on Sunday by defeating the South Division’s No. 1 seed, the College of Charleston Cougars, 3-2 (25-23; 24-26; 20-25; 26-24;15-13) to win the tournament title. The title is the first for the Lady Paladins since 1990 and ends the Cougars’ four-year streak of tournament titles. Furman becomes the first team since 2003 to win each match in the tournament in five sets. It defeated both No. 1 seeds, Samford and CofC, on the way to the title.

The Lady Paladins (21-13) came out strong in the first set, taking an early 4-0 lead. However, the Cougars battled back and regained the lead at 6-5. From there, the two teams went back and forth with the Lady Paladins regaining the lead at 13-12, a lead they would not relinquish, winning the set, 25-23. The set saw 11 ties and four lead changes.

CollegeofCharleston(26-7) came out on fire in the second set, taking an early 4-0 lead and eventually built it to 11-5, forcing a Lady Paladins timeout. From there the Lady Paladins rebounded, taking 13 of the next 19 points to regain the lead, 18-17. Furman eventually built that lead to 20-17 before the Cougars rallied, tying it at 20 and then taking a 21-20 lead. After a Lady Paladins timeout, they took the next two points to get it to 22-21. The Cougars fought back and took the second set, 26-24, after Furman broke match-point once at 24-23.

In the third set, the Cougars came out strong as they took an early 5-1 lead. However, the Lady Paladins fought back to tie it at seven before taking a 9-8 lead. From there, the Cougars regained the momentum, eventually building a five-point lead at 22-17. The Lady Paladins rallied a bit before the Cougars finally closed it out, 25-20, to take a 2-1 lead.

The Cougars came out in set four looking to finish the match and win their fifth straight title. They carried a lead throughout the match and had the Lady Paladins on the brink of elimination, with a 23-19 lead and again at 24-22 and 24-23. However, Furman staved off elimination by scoring the next three points, taking the fourth set, 26-24, forcing a deciding fifth set for the championship.

The Lady Paladins jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the fifth set before CofC rallied to tie the score at four and again at five. At the side change, however, Furman held an 8-6 advantage. After the side change, the Cougars quickly took the next two points to tie the set at eight. The score remained tied at 12 before Furman took a 13-12 lead and went on to clinch the title with a 15-13 win.

Leading the way for the Lady Paladins was outside hitter Alison West, the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, who tallied 21 digs, 21 kills and four blocks. For the tournament, she tallied 61 digs and 53 kills. Fellow Lady Paladins Nicole Palazzo and Emily Harby also made the All-Tournament team. In a losing effort, setter Cole Dawley had 44 assists, 10 kills and 15 digs, while middle blocker Elyse Chubb had 10 kills, six digs and eight block assists. Both were named to the All-Tournament team.

With the win, Furman advances to the 2008 NCAA Volleyball Tournament, which is scheduled to begin the first week in December. The selection show is scheduled to be shown next Sunday on ESPNU at 10 p.m. To follow the Lady Paladins in the NCAA Tournament, check back to soconsports.com.

All-Tournament Team

Alison West ? Furman (Most Outstanding Player)

Nicole Palazzo ? Furman

Emily Harby ? Furman

Cole Dawley ?CollegeofCharleston

Elyse Chubb ?CollegeofCharleston

Ashley Adams ? Samford

Catherine Hanners ? UNCGreensboro