GREENVILLE, S.C. – The Samford Volleyball team punched its ticket to the 2022 NCAA Tournament with a 3-0 win over Furman to clinch a Southern Conference Tournament Title on Sunday. 
 
The victory marks the Bulldogs' fifth SoCon Tournament crown in seven seasons under Head Coach Keylor Chan and their fourth championship in five seasons.
 
Gracie Lynn Butler, Kenya McQuirter, and Kate Wonus were all named to the All-Tournament Team with McQuirter taking home Tournament MVP honors. Wonus was also named the recipient of the Pinnacle Award which honors the top student-athlete participating in the SoCon Tournament.
 
McQuirter led the Bulldogs with 18 kills and four block assists on the day while hitting .298. Wonus hit .333 for the day, posting nine kills and three block assists.
 
Kate Morgan (16) and Lauren Deaton (11) both accounted for double-digit dig totals, with Deaton also recording seven kills. Kayla Keshock led the Bulldogs with 24 assists while Samantha Horn added 14.
 
The Bulldogs created separation in set one by rattling off a 9-0 run that put them up 16-8, with three of the six points coming via McQuirter kills. Samford extended its lead to 22-12 following a WCU service error and from there would cruise to a 25-14 win in the first set.
 
Samford again used a big run to their advantage in set two, scoring five consecutive points to go up 14-8. The Bulldogs increased their lead to 23-13 after a kill from Greer Golden before eventually claiming the set 25-13.
 
The third and final set saw both teams exchange blows, with the Paladins taking a 4-1 lead to start things off. The Bulldogs fought back and took a 14-12 lead on the back of a 3-0 run and rattled off another 3-0 run to take a 20-18 lead. The Bulldogs crawled back from a 23-21 deficit to tie the match at 25-25 and went on to tally the final points needed for the victory, with Golden smashing a kill off a Furman service return to account for the final point.
 
The Bulldogs will now get a week of practice under their belt before they turn their attention to the NCAA Division I Volleyball Tournament Selection Show on Sunday, Nov. 27, which will begin at 6:30 p.m. (CST) and air live on ESPNU.




 
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 /SamfordVolleyball (Facebook), @SamfordVB (Instagram), and @SamfordVB (Twitter).