0
0
GREENVILLE, S.C. — One night after a five-set thriller, Furman volleyball made it look easy. The Paladins swept Chattanooga 3-0 on Friday at Timmons Arena to even their Southern Conference record at 2-2.
Furman won the first set, then took the second 25-20 and the third 25-16. The Paladins moved to 8-7 overall. The Mocs dropped to 5-11 and 0-4 in the SoCon.
A Weekend That Could Change a Season
Furman opened league play 0-2 after a three-match losing streak, a slow start for a team picked third in the SoCon preseason coaches poll. Two wins in two nights over Chattanooga give the Paladins a fresh start.
They are coming off their best season in years. Furman went 21-9 and 11-5 in the SoCon in 2025, its first 20-win season since 2017, and finished second in the regular-season standings. Gorman, a middle blocker, was a first-team All-SoCon selection who led the league in hitting percentage and blocks.
Chattanooga is a program with similar goals. The Mocs went 16-13 last year and tied for third in the SoCon, but they are still looking for a first league win this fall.
The Dins Get Their Crowd
Friday was Big Din Energy night, and Furman fans showed up in bigger numbers than they did Thursday. The crowd got behind the Paladins in the opening set and helped carry them to the win.
Set 2: Furman Finds the Gaps
Chattanooga again started well. No. 23 Gracie Rose spread out for more leverage and delivered a powerful swing, though she was less of a force at the net than the night before. No. 0 Bailey Burgess was strong up front, as she was Thursday.
Furman noticed that the Mocs weren’t covering the floor as well and attacked the open spots. Chattanooga errors, including shots sent out of bounds, helped the Paladins build their lead. Gorman was a steady presence at the net while keeping her workload light. She said Thursday that she has been managing an ankle injury, which did not seem like a problem tonight with her power play.
With the set tied at 18, No. 4 Mallory Merz served into the net to hand Furman the lead. The Paladins followed with an ace. No. 16 Lauren Haynes put the set away with a strong hit across the net. The Dins were on fire, the crowd was electric, and the set was looking to belong to Furman.
Set 3: Furman Never Looks Back
Furman jumped out early in the third set, knowing a win would end the match. Chattanooga struggled to find its rhythm and gave away points with out-of-bounds shots. A different tale from the night before when they pushed to get a fifth set. The coaching changes did not seem to help the Mocs as they suffered, even after rotations on the floor. One may think that whatever worked the previous night could have worked tonight with better course corrections.
The Paladins led 15-9 at the media timeout. They had their foot on the gas and they were not letting up, although much credit could still be given to the Mocs errors on their side of the net.
The Mocs never found a way back, and Furman sealed the 25-16 win and the sweep.
The Plan for a Double-Match Week
Furman’s message coming into the week was to take care of its own business. No. 2 Kennedy Seekford, a senior libero, said that was the focus.
“We knew we wanted to focus on our side of the net,” Seekford said. Which worked in their favor and restarted the power in this Dins team.
Up Next
Furman continues in conference play against The Citadel, and will not be back at Timmons Arena until Oct. 16 when they face off against the Mercer Bears.
About the Author
