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Wofford and The Citadel to meet in SoCon championship
No. 4 Terriers, No. 7 Bulldogs win in SoCon semifinals
No. 4 Wofford 3, No. 9 Furman 1
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – After losing the opening set, No. 4 seed Wofford defeated No. 9 Furman 3-1 in the first semifinal match of the Southern Conference Volleyball Championship on Saturday in Samford’s Pete Hanna Center. Wofford advances to just its second Southern Conference championship match and first since 2017 and will match up against the winner of No. 3 Samford and No. 7 The Citadel on Sunday, Nov. 21, at 4 p.m. CT.
Furman scored first to open the match on a kill from Chandler Parker and quickly jumped out to a 5-0 lead before sophomore middle blocker Sarah Barham recorded a kill for the Terriers to stop the Paladin attack. Furman won the next point, though, and held a steady lead. Trailing 11-5, Wofford head coach Lynze Roos called a timeout. The timeout worked, as Sarah MacLean, an all-freshman selection, recorded a kill to stop the 3-0 run. Wofford pulled within two at 12-10, but Furman won the next three points to push the lead back to five. The Terriers responded with three straight to again close the lead to two before eventually tying the match at 16 after a 4-0 run, forcing Furman to call a timeout. Though Wofford added a point out of the timeout, Furman was able to side out and stop the 5-0 run. From there, the match was tied at 15, 16, 17, and 18, 19 and 21 before a Wofford attack error gave Furman a 22-21 edge and Wofford called timeout. Wofford won the point out of the timeout, but Furman responded with three straight to take the opening set with a 25-22 score.
Wofford scored the first two points of the second set and held on to the lead until Furman tied it at 11 on a kill from Parker and took the lead on a block from Kelsey Watkins. The Paladins added on two more off a kill from Bella Tolone and a block from Tolone and Watkins, using a 5-0 run to lead 14-11. Furman’s momentum continued as Michelle Young’s squad won three of the next four to extend the lead to 17-12, forcing Wofford to call a timeout. Out of the timeout, Furman scored three straight behind a service ace from Ella Abraham, a block by Tolone and Watkins, and a kill by Tolone and Wofford called timeout, trailing 20-12.
Furman’s offensive onslaught continued out of the timeout as the Paladins tacked on two more points to ride an 8-0 run before a ball handling error from the Paladins gave Wofford the point, down 22-13. That play started a 5-0 run for the Terriers and Furman took a timeout, still holding on to a five-point lead at 22-17. Wofford won the first two points out of the timeout to pull within three, 22-19, but Furman won two of the next three to give the Paladins four set points. Wofford fended off three straight to cut the lead to one, 24-23, before tying it on a ball handling error from Furman prompted Young to call timeout. A Furman attack error out of the break gave Wofford set point, but Furman responded and tied it at 25 off a kill from Neci Harris. The teams were tied at 26 and 27 but Wofford’s Emory Wyatt recorded a kill and Barham and Mary Emily Morgan followed with a block to give the Terriers a 29-27 set win and tie the match at 1. Wofford trailed 22-12 before scoring 17 of the final 22 points and fending off five set points in a comeback effort.
Wofford got on the board first in the third set and led by as many as four. Though Furman pulled within one at 11-10, Wofford won the next four points to run the lead to 15-10. The Terriers extended the lead to eight, 20-12 and after Wofford won three of the next seven to run the lead to 23-15, Furman called timeout. The timeout worked as Furman won three straight, off back-to-back kills by Harris, Parker and a block from Harris and Tolone, making the score 23-19, but Wofford held on for a 25-21 win, never trailing in the set, and took a 2-1 lead.
Wofford opened the fourth set on an 8-1 run and Young called timeout to regroup the Paladins. Wofford ran the lead to 10, 11-1, before Furman scored its second point on a kill from Natalie Dunn. From there, the Terriers led by at least six and cruised to a 25-15 win to earn the four-set victory, which avenged a pair of regular-season losses.
After hitting .000 in the first set, Wofford hit .236 in the match and held Furman to just .099. Wofford’s play at the net proved to be a big difference as the Terriers recorded 16 blocks to Furman’s six. MacLean led Wofford with 18 kills, hitting .469 in the match. Wyatt joined her in double-figure kills with 10. Kennedy Smith led Wofford with 13 digs, followed by Kaitlyn Brown with 11. Emily Hodsdon finished with a match-high 43 assists. Tolone led the Paladins with 14 kills, adding 10 digs for a double-double. Libero Andrea Aceveda tallied a team-high 17 digs, while Sarah Turner totaled 24 assists and Abraham added 20.
No. 7 The Citadel 3, No. 3 Samford 1
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Citadel, the No. 7 seed, collected its second upset of the Southern Conference Volleyball Championship with a 3-1 win over No. 3 seed Samford in the second semifinal match on Saturday in Samford’s Pete Hanna Center. The Citadel, which made its first appearance in the semifinals, will do the same in the championship final, and will face No. 4 Wofford, who makes just its second championship appearance, on Sunday, Nov. 21, at 4 p.m. CT.
The Citadel and Wofford split in the regular season, with the Bulldogs winning 3-1 at home on Sept. 29 and Wofford winning by the same score on its home court on Oct. 27.
Samford scored first with an ace from Lauren Deaton, a second-team all-conference performer, but The Citadel tied it at 2 and held onto the lead until Samford clawed back and tied it at 17. The match was tied at 18 and 19 before The Citadel added on two straight points off kills by Gina Delancey and Ali Ruffin and Samford took a timeout down 21-19. The Citadel went on a 4-2 run down the stretch and won the opening set 25-21.
Kenya McQuirter, a first-team all-conference selection, opened the second set with back-to-back kills to put Samford in front. The Citadel tied it at 3 and won four in a row to force Samford head coach Keylor Chan to call a timeout, down 7-3. A service error by The Citadel gave Samford the point and the ball, but The Citadel responded with three straight points to put The Citadel in front 10-4. Samford went on a run of its own, though, winning the next four, and The Citadel head coach Dave Zelenock used his first timeout of the set, ahead just two at 10-8. Samford pulled within one many times before tying it up at 16, but De Jesus responded with a kill for The Citadel. Tied at 17, The Citadel scored three straight points behind the serving of Sharlissa De Jesus, a first-team all-conference selection, and Samford called a timeout. The timeout worked as De Jesus served the ball long on her next attempt. Samford won two of the next three points to pull within one, 21-20, and Zelenock called a timeout. McQuirter tied the match out of the break. The teams traded points and were tied at 22 when Samford closed the set on a 3-0 run to earn the 25-22 win and tie the match. The second set featured two lead changes and six ties.
The Citadel scored first in set three off an attack error from Samford and held onto the lead until Samford tied it at 5. Samford again tied it, this time at 7, before taking an 8-7 lead on an ace from Deaton. The ace was the first point in a 3-0 run and The Citadel called timeout. Samford stretched the lead to six, 15-9, before a kill by Makaya Middleton stopped the run. The Citadel, however, was unable to get closer than five points and called a timeout down seven, 21-14. Down the stretch, The Citadel won nine of 11 to pull within three, 23-20, and Samford called timeout. The Citadel won the next two points, making it 23-22, but McQuirter answered to bring up set point for Samford. Ruffin and Kenzie Kellerman followed with kills for The Citadel to fend off two set points and tie the set at 24.
The match was tied at 25 when The Citadel went ahead 26-25 on a De Jesus kill and Chan called timeout for Samford. The timeout worked as Samford’s Sarah Hayes Farley came out with a kill, but a kill by De Jesus and a service ace by Belle Hogan helped The Citadel to a 28-26 set victory and a 2-1 lead in the match.
The fourth set began with a Samford attack error, giving The Citadel the early lead. Samford responded and quickly jumped out to a 6-2 advantage, holding onto the lead until The Citadel jumped in front 11-10 on a kill by De Jesus. The Citadel ran the lead to four, 18-14, before Samford called timeout. The Citadel tacked on another pair out of the break to lead 20-14, but Samford won four of the next six to cut the lead to 22-18. Zelenock called a timeout. The Citadel and Samford each scored three points from there, but three was all The Citadel needed to win the set and match as De Jesus’s 30th kill proved to be the difference-maker.
De Jesus’s 30 kills led all players (.393) were a tournament high this season, while Ruffin added 21 (.319) in the win. Each earned a double-double, finishing with 17 and 16 digs, respectively. Kellerman (16) and Hogan (11) finished with double-digit digs as well, while Hogan recorded a match-high 55 assists. Samford had three record double-digit kills – McQuirter (18), Farley (10) and Deaton (10) – while Deaton, who had 14 digs, earned a double-double. Libero Kate Morgan tallied 15 digs, as did setter Kayla Keshock, who earned a double-double by tallying 39 assists.
The Citadel hit .306, while Samford hit .233.
2021 Southern Conference Volleyball Championship
Pete Hanna Center | Birmingham, Ala.
Monday, Nov. 15
First Round
Match 1: #9 Furman 3, #8 Chattanooga 2 in Chattanooga, Tennessee (ESPN+)
Friday, Nov. 19
Quarterfinals
Match 2: #4 Wofford 3, #5 Western Carolina 1 (ESPN+)
Match 3: #9 Furman 3, #1 Mercer 1 (ESPN+)
Match 4: #7 The Citadel 3, #2 UNCG 2 (ESPN+)
Match 5: #3 Samford 3, #6 ETSU 0 (ESPN+)
Saturday, Nov. 20
Semifinals
Match 6: #4 Wofford 3, #9 Furman 1 (ESPN+)
Match 7: #7 The Citadel 3, #3 Samford 1 (ESPN+)
Sunday, Nov. 21
Championship
Match 8: #4 Wofford vs. #7 The Citadel, 4 p.m. CT (ESPN+)
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – After losing the opening set, No. 4 seed Wofford defeated No. 9 Furman 3-1 in the first semifinal match of the Southern Conference Volleyball Championship on Saturday in Samford’s Pete Hanna Center. Wofford advances to just its second Southern Conference championship match and first since 2017 and will match up against the winner of No. 3 Samford and No. 7 The Citadel on Sunday, Nov. 21, at 4 p.m. CT.
Furman scored first to open the match on a kill from Chandler Parker and quickly jumped out to a 5-0 lead before sophomore middle blocker Sarah Barham recorded a kill for the Terriers to stop the Paladin attack. Furman won the next point, though, and held a steady lead. Trailing 11-5, Wofford head coach Lynze Roos called a timeout. The timeout worked, as Sarah MacLean, an all-freshman selection, recorded a kill to stop the 3-0 run. Wofford pulled within two at 12-10, but Furman won the next three points to push the lead back to five. The Terriers responded with three straight to again close the lead to two before eventually tying the match at 16 after a 4-0 run, forcing Furman to call a timeout. Though Wofford added a point out of the timeout, Furman was able to side out and stop the 5-0 run. From there, the match was tied at 15, 16, 17, and 18, 19 and 21 before a Wofford attack error gave Furman a 22-21 edge and Wofford called timeout. Wofford won the point out of the timeout, but Furman responded with three straight to take the opening set with a 25-22 score.
Wofford scored the first two points of the second set and held on to the lead until Furman tied it at 11 on a kill from Parker and took the lead on a block from Kelsey Watkins. The Paladins added on two more off a kill from Bella Tolone and a block from Tolone and Watkins, using a 5-0 run to lead 14-11. Furman’s momentum continued as Michelle Young’s squad won three of the next four to extend the lead to 17-12, forcing Wofford to call a timeout. Out of the timeout, Furman scored three straight behind a service ace from Ella Abraham, a block by Tolone and Watkins, and a kill by Tolone and Wofford called timeout, trailing 20-12.
Furman’s offensive onslaught continued out of the timeout as the Paladins tacked on two more points to ride an 8-0 run before a ball handling error from the Paladins gave Wofford the point, down 22-13. That play started a 5-0 run for the Terriers and Furman took a timeout, still holding on to a five-point lead at 22-17. Wofford won the first two points out of the timeout to pull within three, 22-19, but Furman won two of the next three to give the Paladins four set points. Wofford fended off three straight to cut the lead to one, 24-23, before tying it on a ball handling error from Furman prompted Young to call timeout. A Furman attack error out of the break gave Wofford set point, but Furman responded and tied it at 25 off a kill from Neci Harris. The teams were tied at 26 and 27 but Wofford’s Emory Wyatt recorded a kill and Barham and Mary Emily Morgan followed with a block to give the Terriers a 29-27 set win and tie the match at 1. Wofford trailed 22-12 before scoring 17 of the final 22 points and fending off five set points in a comeback effort.
Wofford got on the board first in the third set and led by as many as four. Though Furman pulled within one at 11-10, Wofford won the next four points to run the lead to 15-10. The Terriers extended the lead to eight, 20-12 and after Wofford won three of the next seven to run the lead to 23-15, Furman called timeout. The timeout worked as Furman won three straight, off back-to-back kills by Harris, Parker and a block from Harris and Tolone, making the score 23-19, but Wofford held on for a 25-21 win, never trailing in the set, and took a 2-1 lead.
Wofford opened the fourth set on an 8-1 run and Young called timeout to regroup the Paladins. Wofford ran the lead to 10, 11-1, before Furman scored its second point on a kill from Natalie Dunn. From there, the Terriers led by at least six and cruised to a 25-15 win to earn the four-set victory, which avenged a pair of regular-season losses.
After hitting .000 in the first set, Wofford hit .236 in the match and held Furman to just .099. Wofford’s play at the net proved to be a big difference as the Terriers recorded 16 blocks to Furman’s six. MacLean led Wofford with 18 kills, hitting .469 in the match. Wyatt joined her in double-figure kills with 10. Kennedy Smith led Wofford with 13 digs, followed by Kaitlyn Brown with 11. Emily Hodsdon finished with a match-high 43 assists. Tolone led the Paladins with 14 kills, adding 10 digs for a double-double. Libero Andrea Aceveda tallied a team-high 17 digs, while Sarah Turner totaled 24 assists and Abraham added 20.
No. 7 The Citadel 3, No. 3 Samford 1
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Citadel, the No. 7 seed, collected its second upset of the Southern Conference Volleyball Championship with a 3-1 win over No. 3 seed Samford in the second semifinal match on Saturday in Samford’s Pete Hanna Center. The Citadel, which made its first appearance in the semifinals, will do the same in the championship final, and will face No. 4 Wofford, who makes just its second championship appearance, on Sunday, Nov. 21, at 4 p.m. CT.
The Citadel and Wofford split in the regular season, with the Bulldogs winning 3-1 at home on Sept. 29 and Wofford winning by the same score on its home court on Oct. 27.
Samford scored first with an ace from Lauren Deaton, a second-team all-conference performer, but The Citadel tied it at 2 and held onto the lead until Samford clawed back and tied it at 17. The match was tied at 18 and 19 before The Citadel added on two straight points off kills by Gina Delancey and Ali Ruffin and Samford took a timeout down 21-19. The Citadel went on a 4-2 run down the stretch and won the opening set 25-21.
Kenya McQuirter, a first-team all-conference selection, opened the second set with back-to-back kills to put Samford in front. The Citadel tied it at 3 and won four in a row to force Samford head coach Keylor Chan to call a timeout, down 7-3. A service error by The Citadel gave Samford the point and the ball, but The Citadel responded with three straight points to put The Citadel in front 10-4. Samford went on a run of its own, though, winning the next four, and The Citadel head coach Dave Zelenock used his first timeout of the set, ahead just two at 10-8. Samford pulled within one many times before tying it up at 16, but De Jesus responded with a kill for The Citadel. Tied at 17, The Citadel scored three straight points behind the serving of Sharlissa De Jesus, a first-team all-conference selection, and Samford called a timeout. The timeout worked as De Jesus served the ball long on her next attempt. Samford won two of the next three points to pull within one, 21-20, and Zelenock called a timeout. McQuirter tied the match out of the break. The teams traded points and were tied at 22 when Samford closed the set on a 3-0 run to earn the 25-22 win and tie the match. The second set featured two lead changes and six ties.
The Citadel scored first in set three off an attack error from Samford and held onto the lead until Samford tied it at 5. Samford again tied it, this time at 7, before taking an 8-7 lead on an ace from Deaton. The ace was the first point in a 3-0 run and The Citadel called timeout. Samford stretched the lead to six, 15-9, before a kill by Makaya Middleton stopped the run. The Citadel, however, was unable to get closer than five points and called a timeout down seven, 21-14. Down the stretch, The Citadel won nine of 11 to pull within three, 23-20, and Samford called timeout. The Citadel won the next two points, making it 23-22, but McQuirter answered to bring up set point for Samford. Ruffin and Kenzie Kellerman followed with kills for The Citadel to fend off two set points and tie the set at 24.
The match was tied at 25 when The Citadel went ahead 26-25 on a De Jesus kill and Chan called timeout for Samford. The timeout worked as Samford’s Sarah Hayes Farley came out with a kill, but a kill by De Jesus and a service ace by Belle Hogan helped The Citadel to a 28-26 set victory and a 2-1 lead in the match.
The fourth set began with a Samford attack error, giving The Citadel the early lead. Samford responded and quickly jumped out to a 6-2 advantage, holding onto the lead until The Citadel jumped in front 11-10 on a kill by De Jesus. The Citadel ran the lead to four, 18-14, before Samford called timeout. The Citadel tacked on another pair out of the break to lead 20-14, but Samford won four of the next six to cut the lead to 22-18. Zelenock called a timeout. The Citadel and Samford each scored three points from there, but three was all The Citadel needed to win the set and match as De Jesus’s 30th kill proved to be the difference-maker.
De Jesus’s 30 kills led all players (.393) were a tournament high this season, while Ruffin added 21 (.319) in the win. Each earned a double-double, finishing with 17 and 16 digs, respectively. Kellerman (16) and Hogan (11) finished with double-digit digs as well, while Hogan recorded a match-high 55 assists. Samford had three record double-digit kills – McQuirter (18), Farley (10) and Deaton (10) – while Deaton, who had 14 digs, earned a double-double. Libero Kate Morgan tallied 15 digs, as did setter Kayla Keshock, who earned a double-double by tallying 39 assists.
The Citadel hit .306, while Samford hit .233.
2021 Southern Conference Volleyball Championship
Pete Hanna Center | Birmingham, Ala.
Monday, Nov. 15
First Round
Match 1: #9 Furman 3, #8 Chattanooga 2 in Chattanooga, Tennessee (ESPN+)
Friday, Nov. 19
Quarterfinals
Match 2: #4 Wofford 3, #5 Western Carolina 1 (ESPN+)
Match 3: #9 Furman 3, #1 Mercer 1 (ESPN+)
Match 4: #7 The Citadel 3, #2 UNCG 2 (ESPN+)
Match 5: #3 Samford 3, #6 ETSU 0 (ESPN+)
Saturday, Nov. 20
Semifinals
Match 6: #4 Wofford 3, #9 Furman 1 (ESPN+)
Match 7: #7 The Citadel 3, #3 Samford 1 (ESPN+)
Sunday, Nov. 21
Championship
Match 8: #4 Wofford vs. #7 The Citadel, 4 p.m. CT (ESPN+)
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