Furman Edges Georgia Southern in Four Sets
9/26/2009 9:36:00 PM | Volleyball
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Sophomore outside hitter Bethany Sanford posted her fourth consecutive double-double of the season, but was unable to carry the Georgia Southern volleyball past Southern Conference foe Furman Saturday afternoon (September 26). In just shy of a two-hour battle, the Eagles dropped to 10-6 overall on the season and 1-1 in conference action as they fell in a four set battle to the Paladins, who improved to 8-3, 1-0 with the win.
Hitting only .124 for the match, the Eagles struggled offensively, recording 49 kills in 170 attempts. The Eagles had four players reach double-figures in digs, led by Sanford (Avondale, Ariz.) with 18, who also recorded 13 kills to post a double-double. Senior libero Cristin Haines (Palos Heights, Ill.) trailed Sanford in digs by just one, with 17. Freshman Kate Van Dyke (Shawnee, Kan.) had 43 assists, but 12 blocks by the Paladins hampered the Eagles.
Freshman Kirby Monson witnessed her first double-digit kill performance of her inaugural season as an Eagle. The Houston, Tex., native contributed 10, while Parker Small (Charlotte, N.C.) added 11 and Sanford led the team with 13.
The Paladins took the first set, 25-22. The teams traded points in the opening stanza that saw 13 ties and three lead changes. To close the set, at 21-all, Furman put together a 4-1 run to take the early match lead. The Paladins managed to hold the Eagles to a mere .056 attack attempt from the floor to secure the opening set.
Georgia Southern kept the second set close, trailing by two before tying the match at 8-all. At 14-11, a 4-0 run gave the Paladins the separation they needed as they pulled away with an 18-11 lead. The Eagles closed to three at 20-17. However, three Paladins kills coupled with a pair of Eagle attack errors sealed the second set for Furman at 25-18.
After intermission, the Eagles responded to a two-set lead by the Paladins, grabbing a heated third set, 26-24. Seven lead changes and 17 ties ensued in the third stanza as the conference foes tossed the lead back-and-forth to a 22-all standstill. The lead switched twice before both teams stood at 24 apiece. Sanford's third kill of the set forced a Furman timeout seconds before Small finalized the third set for Georgia Southern with her fifth kill of the stanza.
Service errors plagued the Eagles in the final set that saw half the service errors by the Eagles in the match. A pair of Monson kills gave Georgia Southern a 6-3 advantage and a Small kill would give the Eagles a three-point lead at 10-7. But the Paladins posted a 3-0 run that tied the match at 10-all. The teams kept the set to within two points until Furman took a 3-point lead at 21-18. Following Monson's sixth kill of the set, the Eagles' fourth service error gave the Paladins a 22-19 margin. Georgia Southern's final kill of the set would come as Monson's seventh in the set as Furman closed the match on a Natalie Braun kill and Eagle error. The Paladins secured the conference match with a 25-22 fourth set.
Furman's .206 hitting percentage was helped by Alexis Shaffer's 15 kills. Stephanie Smith led the Paladins with 22 digs and Kelsey Salava recorded 51 assists.
Georgia Southern returns to action on Saturday, October 3 as they close out this three-match road trip with a visit to Chattanooga. Match time against the Lady Mocs is slated for 2 p.m.
Hitting only .124 for the match, the Eagles struggled offensively, recording 49 kills in 170 attempts. The Eagles had four players reach double-figures in digs, led by Sanford (Avondale, Ariz.) with 18, who also recorded 13 kills to post a double-double. Senior libero Cristin Haines (Palos Heights, Ill.) trailed Sanford in digs by just one, with 17. Freshman Kate Van Dyke (Shawnee, Kan.) had 43 assists, but 12 blocks by the Paladins hampered the Eagles.
Freshman Kirby Monson witnessed her first double-digit kill performance of her inaugural season as an Eagle. The Houston, Tex., native contributed 10, while Parker Small (Charlotte, N.C.) added 11 and Sanford led the team with 13.
The Paladins took the first set, 25-22. The teams traded points in the opening stanza that saw 13 ties and three lead changes. To close the set, at 21-all, Furman put together a 4-1 run to take the early match lead. The Paladins managed to hold the Eagles to a mere .056 attack attempt from the floor to secure the opening set.
Georgia Southern kept the second set close, trailing by two before tying the match at 8-all. At 14-11, a 4-0 run gave the Paladins the separation they needed as they pulled away with an 18-11 lead. The Eagles closed to three at 20-17. However, three Paladins kills coupled with a pair of Eagle attack errors sealed the second set for Furman at 25-18.
After intermission, the Eagles responded to a two-set lead by the Paladins, grabbing a heated third set, 26-24. Seven lead changes and 17 ties ensued in the third stanza as the conference foes tossed the lead back-and-forth to a 22-all standstill. The lead switched twice before both teams stood at 24 apiece. Sanford's third kill of the set forced a Furman timeout seconds before Small finalized the third set for Georgia Southern with her fifth kill of the stanza.
Service errors plagued the Eagles in the final set that saw half the service errors by the Eagles in the match. A pair of Monson kills gave Georgia Southern a 6-3 advantage and a Small kill would give the Eagles a three-point lead at 10-7. But the Paladins posted a 3-0 run that tied the match at 10-all. The teams kept the set to within two points until Furman took a 3-point lead at 21-18. Following Monson's sixth kill of the set, the Eagles' fourth service error gave the Paladins a 22-19 margin. Georgia Southern's final kill of the set would come as Monson's seventh in the set as Furman closed the match on a Natalie Braun kill and Eagle error. The Paladins secured the conference match with a 25-22 fourth set.
Furman's .206 hitting percentage was helped by Alexis Shaffer's 15 kills. Stephanie Smith led the Paladins with 22 digs and Kelsey Salava recorded 51 assists.
Georgia Southern returns to action on Saturday, October 3 as they close out this three-match road trip with a visit to Chattanooga. Match time against the Lady Mocs is slated for 2 p.m.
Georgia Southern Football Media Availability (3/3/26)
Tuesday, March 03
The GATA Zone - Women's Basketball Post Season
Tuesday, March 03
2026 Only For Southern
Thursday, February 26
2026 Georgia Southern Football Ticket Video
Wednesday, February 25
