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GREENVILLE, S.C. – Furman volleyball needed some nerve in the second set. The Paladins saved two set points and went on to sweep The Citadel 25-20, 27-25, 25-14 on Tuesday night at Timmons Arena in a Southern Conference match.
Additionally, the win moved Furman to 11-12 overall and 5-7 in the SoCon. The Citadel fell to 4-20 and 1-11 and is still looking for its second conference win. A crowd of 274 attended, and the match lasted 1 hour, 19 minutes.
Set 1: A fast start for the Bulldogs, then a Furman answer
The Citadel came out swinging. Megan Stone served the first four points, and kills by Elizabeth Miller, Jordyn Sims and Emma Pastusic gave the Bulldogs a 4-0 lead.
However, Furman settled in and tied the set at 11-11 on a Morgan Baldridge kill. It took its first lead at 12-11 when The Citadel was called for a ball-handling error and never gave it back. The Bulldogs got within two points at 18-16, but the Paladins pulled away behind Izzy Castelloe’s four kills in the set. Furman hit .278 to The Citadel’s .250 and won 25-20.
Set 2: Two set points, and Furman answered both
The second set was the closest of the night. The score was tied 17 times and the lead changed hands nine times. Furman led 12-9, but The Citadel rallied to tie it at 12-12, and neither team led by more than a couple of points after that.
The Bulldogs reached set point at 24-23 when Luci Lippelgoos blocked a Rebekah Buchholz attack. Furman called timeout, and a Pastusic error tied it at 24-24. Lippelgoos put The Citadel back in front 25-24 with a kill, but she was blocked by Ashley Stein and Buchholz on the next attack to tie it at 25-25. Baldridge’s kill gave Furman its first set point, and a Pastusic attack error ended it at 27-25.
It was a messy set for both sides. Furman hit just .059 with 11 attack errors, and The Citadel hit .020 below zero (-.020) with 10 errors.
Set 3: Furman pulls away
The Paladins looked like a different team in the third set. They hit .435 with 11 kills and a single error on 23 attacks, and they blocked The Citadel’s attacks while the Bulldogs went without a block. The Citadel hit .067 with eight errors.
Furman led 15-12 and then 18-12, which forced a Bulldogs timeout. It closed the match on a 6-0 run from 19-14, with Tiffany Helmer serving the last five points, including a team ace. Pastusic’s attack error finished it at 25-14.
By the numbers
Furman
- Kills: 38
- Attack errors: 15
- Attack attempts: 110
- Hitting percentage: .209
- Assists: 34
- Digs: 54
- Service aces: 6
- Team blocks: 10.0
- Side-out percentage: 59% (36 of 61)
The Citadel
- Kills: 33
- Attack errors: 22
- Attack attempts: 120
- Hitting percentage: .092
- Assists: 31
- Digs: 50
- Service aces: 2
- Team blocks: 6.0
- Side-out percentage: 45% (34 of 75)
The difference was in the details. Furman had seven fewer errors and four more team blocks, and it won more rallies on its own serve. The Citadel’s side-out percentage dropped to 33% in the third set, when it converted just eight of 24 opportunities.
Standouts
Furman: Baldridge had 25 assists, and she also hit .667 with six kills and no errors on nine swings, plus four block assists. Castelloe led the team with eight kills, and Stein and Lauren Haynes each had six. Tennyson Gorman had four kills and a team-high five block assists. Libero Kennedy Seekford had 16 digs, and Brooke Scheffler and Stein each had double-digit receptions without a reception error.
The Citadel: Lippelgoos led all players in kills with 10, hitting .348, and she added three blocks. Pastusic, a freshman, had nine kills but 14 errors on 39 attempts. Allie Davison and Greta Pleuss combined for 30 assists, and libero Jess Martin had 15 digs and 39 receptions.
A good week for the Paladins
The win came three days after Furman swept East Tennessee State on the road. That match was also Furman coach Michelle Young’s 450th career victory. It also avenged an earlier loss, a 3-1 defeat at The Citadel on Oct. 6. The Paladins moved home to Timmons Arena in 2026 after more than two decades at Alley Gymnasium, and they are now playing their final home stretch of the season.
What’s next
Furman is back at Timmons Arena on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 30-31, to host UNC Greensboro. The Citadel plays Western Carolina on Friday, Oct. 30, at 6 p.m.
Related: Furman Athletics | The Citadel Athletics | Furman football recap
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