BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Samford Volleyball Team knocked off Furman University 3-1 on Friday evening in Southern Conference action.
 
With the win, the Bulldogs improve to 14-11 overall and 9-4 in SoCon play. The Paladins drop to 6-17 on the year and 2-11 against conference competition.
 
Gracie Lynn Butler logged her fifth double-double of the season with a 12-kill, 11-dig effort. Kenya McQuirter smashed a game-high 17 kills, to go along with a .250 hitting percentage.
 
Lauren Deaton recorded a team-high 14 digs while Kate Morgan (12) and Andie Salasky (10) both also finished with double-digit dig totals.
 
Kayla Keshock (18) and Samantha Horn (15) combined for 33 assists, with Keshock also registering nine kills, six digs, and a career-high five service aces. Greer Golden compiled nine kills to go along with three blocks while Kate Wonus blocked a team-high five attacks.
 
The Bulldogs took advantage of a 5-0 run in set one to take a 16-12 lead. Furan crept their way back and tallied two crucial points late to tie the match at 23. The Bulldogs got to set point at 25-24 after a kill from Deaton, but Furman responded with three-consecutive points to claim the set, 27-25.
 
In set two, Samford jumped out to a 12-6 lead after a kill from Golden capped off a quick 3-0 run. From there, the Bulldogs would continue to keep their foot on the gas by taking a 17-8 lead and a 22-10 advantage to cruise to a 25-12 set-two win.
 
The Bulldogs and Paladins traded blows in set three until a late 4-0 run by Samford gave them a 22-17 advantage. Furman fought back to make it just a 24-22 deficit, but McQuirter sealed the third set for the Bulldogs with a strong kill into a Paladin block attempt that went awry. 
 
In set four Samford used a 3-0 run to go up 12-9, but the Paladins later responded to tie the score at 13. Deadlocked at 18-all, the Bulldogs scored four of the next five to take a 22-19 lead and then tallied the final three points of the set to win it 25-20.
 
The Bulldogs' defense shined bright Friday evening, matching a season-high with 10 blocks and holding the Paladins to just a .171 hitting percentage. Samford has now held its opponents to under a .200 hitting percentage 13 times this season.
 
The Bulldogs will play their final home game of the 2022 season on Saturday when they host the Citadel at 7:00 p.m. (CST).


 
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