
The Furman volleyball team captured its sixth consecutive victory Friday evening with a 3-0 (25-17, 25-11, 25-12) sweep of The Citadel Bulldogs in Southern Conference action from Alley Gymnasium. Furman is off to its first 4-0 start in conference play since 2017 and improved to 13-3 on the season. With the loss, The Citadel drops to 0-13 overall and 0-3 in the SoCon.
DINS WIN!
Six in a row as the Paladins remain undefeated in the SoCon.#FUVB pic.twitter.com/VuYS2sPUAd
— Furman Volleyball (@FurmanVB) October 3, 2025
Izzy Castelloe and Amber Watson paced the Paladin offense with nine kills apiece. Watson hit .316 for the match while Castelloe compiled a .240 clip. Ashley Stein poured in seven kills on .500 hitting and 10 digs. Emily Navarro contributed her team leading eight double-double of the season with 21 assists and a team high 11 digs. Gwen Berry led the Bulldogs with nine kills and Greta Pleuss dished out 15 assists. Defensively, Jess Martin posted nine digs.
Emily Navarro recorded her team leading eight double-double of the season with 21 assists and a team high 11 digs in tonight's sweep of The Citadel.#FUVB pic.twitter.com/eMGjxfFbiu
— Furman Volleyball (@FurmanVB) October 4, 2025
Furman never trailed in the contest and hit .296 as a team and limited The Citadel to a negative hitting mark at -.026. The Paladins held a 40-20 advantage in kills, 36-20 in assists, and 57-37 in digs. Furman also finished with double digit blocks for the fourth consecutive match, totaling 10 led by Grainne McGrath’s five.
Izzy Castelloe helped lead Furman to a 3-0 sweep of The Citadel with her nine kills on .240 hitting.
The preseason All-SoCon pick added five digs and her one block was part of a double digit block effort for the fourth straight match.#FUVB pic.twitter.com/SDmxahd8lI
— Furman Volleyball (@FurmanVB) October 4, 2025
The Paladins finished with a .237 hitting percentage in the opening set, and held the Bulldogs to -.025, to win 25-17. Stein had a team best four kills on .800 hitting, Navarro six assists, and Castelloe and Ashtan Dodson four digs each. Furman scored 11 of the opening 14 points and built an 11-4 lead after back-to-back kills from Stein. Tennyson Gorman would give the Paladins a 17-6 lead midway before The Citadel cut its deficit down to five, 21-16, with a 10-4 run. Furman scored four of the last five points capped by a combination block from Watson and McGrath.
It was great to have our alumni back in Alley tonight for Family Weekend! pic.twitter.com/1vQd7nukTF
— Furman Volleyball (@FurmanVB) October 3, 2025
The Paladins tallied a .310 hitting performance during the second set with the Bulldogs being limited to negative hitting again at -.033. Watson turned in four kills on .429 hitting, Navarro nine assists, and Stein four digs. Furman held an early 6-2 lead before breaking the set open courtesy of a 15-5 run. An attack error by The Citadel gave the Paladins a 21-7 advantage. Watson clinched the 25-11 victory with her kill.
Up two sets heading into the break!
Stein – 6 kills, 7 digs
Navarro – 15 assists, 6 digs
Dodson/Seekford – 6 digs#FUVB pic.twitter.com/5iI2MjvuwO— Furman Volleyball (@FurmanVB) October 3, 2025
Furman turned in its best hitting performance for the match in the third set, posting a .355 clip with the Bulldogs adding a -.023 mark. Castelloe hit .400 for the set and led the team with five kills. Navarro collected six assists and five digs. The Paladins started the frame on a 7-1 run and went ahead by double figures at 15-5 when Gorman and Lindsay Walch teamed up for a block. Furman led by as many as 15 points with the last coming at 23-8 on Gorman’s kill. Brooke Scheffler secured the set, and match, following her kill.
Furman takes the early 1-0 lead!
Stein – 4 kills
Navarro – 6 assists
Castelloe/Dodson – 4 digs#FUVB pic.twitter.com/eDczL1havv— Furman Volleyball (@FurmanVB) October 3, 2025
The Paladins return to the road next weekend, October 10-11, traveling to East Tennessee State and Wofford. Fans can follow the action on www.furmanpaladins.com via live stats. Both matches are being streamed via paid subscription on ESPN+. Updates will be posted on the Furman volleyball Twitter page (@FurmanVB).