Box Score (PDF)

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford volleyball team finished out the regular season on a six-match winning streak with a 3-0 sweep of the Furman Paladins, Saturday.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:  
The first set was a back-and-forth affair as neither team was able to take a significant lead, however, a push from the Paladins in the middle of the set gave them a 15-12 advantage at the media timeout. Briana Holmes continued to heat up as the Bulldogs' middle blocker has done the last half of the season garnering four kills in the first set leading the Bulldogs back to tie the opening frame at 17-17. Despite Furman's efforts to pull away, a kill from Lauren Deaton put the Bulldogs up 21-20 late in the first set. Furman was able to level at 23-23, but the Bulldogs completed the comeback to take the first set 25-23.
 
Both teams looked for the upper hand in the second frame after a tightly contested opening set, but it was Furman that jumped out to an early 3-1 lead. The Bulldogs roared back 13-9 lead over the Paladins behind kills from Sarah Hayes Farley and Kate Wonus. Kenya McQuirter came alive in the middle of the second set with a pair of kills giving Samford a 15-13 lead at the media break. Furman was able to come back and tie the set at 17-17 before the Bulldogs went on an 8-3 run to take the second set 25-19.
 
It was all Bulldogs through the early part of the third set, as McQuirter scored three of the Bulldogs' four points heading into the media timeout 15-11. However the Paladins battled back tying the must-win set at 17-17 prompting a timeout from head coach Keylor Chan. After the timeout the Bulldogs responded with a pair of kills from Farley and Deaton restoring a two-point advantage forcing another timeout on the floor this time from the Paladin bench. The Bulldogs would continue to press taking the match by a third set score of 25-22. 

FROM THE BOX SCORE

• McQuirter led Samford 11 kills, while seniors Holmes and Deaton added nine each for the Bulldog offense.
• Deaton led the the defense with 15 digs, as Andie Salasky and Kate Morgan also recorded double digits in the category with 10 and 12 respectively.
• Kayla Keshock tallied 33 assists in the regular season finale, while Holmes and McQuirter posted two blocks each.
• For Furman, Bella Tolone recorded 10 kills while Andrea Aceveda posted 25 digs.

UP NEXT
The Bulldogs will head into postseason play as Samford hosts the Southern Conference Tournament Friday Nov. 19 through Sunday Nov. 21 at the Pete Hanna Center in Birmingham, Ala.
 
FOLLOW THE BULLDOGS:
For the latest news and information on Samford volleyball, visit the official website for Samford Athletics at SamfordSports.com. Fans can also follow the Bulldogs on social media at @SamfordSports (Facebook), @SamfordVB (Instagram) and @SamfordVB (Twitter).