GREENVILLE, S.C. – The Presbyterian College volleyball team (3-8) came up short in a competitive four-set match against the Furman Paladins (5-4), falling 3-1 (25-15, 23-25, 19-25, 16-25).
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
FIRST SET
The Blue Hose came out strong in the first set with six straight kills, led by four from Courtney Williams, one from Hannah Rowe, and one from Julia Yurkovich. The Paladins picked up their first score of the match before Presbyterian grabbed two more to extend their lead to 8-1. Furman responded with three points, but a kill from Elyse Hutchinson and a service ace by Aliza Hart put PC ahead 10-5.
 
Furman closed the gap by taking four of the next five points, narrowing PC's lead to 11-8. A kill from Hutchinson and a well-placed service ace from Amaris Alvarez brought Presby to 13 points before Furman hit double digits. Rowe added a kill before teaming up with Brittney Daphnis for a block, making it 16-10. Furman managed a pair of kills, but Daphnis answered with a kill and joined Hutchinson for another block, forcing Furman to call a timeout at 18-12.
 
Williams and Yurkovich notched two more kills to bring the Blue Hose to the 20-point mark. Furman added two kills of their own, but a pair from Williams and Yurkovich made it set point at 24-14. Furman managed one final point before Presbyterian sealed the set with a 25-15 victory.
 
SECOND SET
Rowe opened the second set with a kill before teaming up with Daphnis for a block. However, Furman responded with a seven-point run, prompting a timeout from Presbyterian. Coming out of the break, Rowe delivered a powerful kill, followed by another big swing from Williams. A strong attack from Furman was countered by Hutchinson and Yurkovich, narrowing Furman's lead to 8-5.
 
The teams traded points, with contributions from Williams, Hutchinson, and Anna Baranski, along with a block from Hutchinson and Yurkovich, pushing the score to 14-11 in Furman's favor. Kills from Yurkovich and Daphnis sparked a four-point rally, allowing the Blue Hose to reclaim the lead and forcing Furman to call a timeout at 15-14.
 
After the break, the teams continued to exchange points. PC saw kills from Williams, Baranski, and Yurkovich, along with a service ace from Celimar Hoyos, putting them up 19-17. Again, Furman surged ahead with four unanswered points, taking a 21-19 lead. A point from each side made it 22-20, as Presbyterian called another timeout.
 
Huge kills from Hutchinson and Rowe kept PC in the set as Furman reached set point, the Paladins ultimately secured the second set, 25-23.

THIRD SET
The Blue Hose started strong, taking three of the first four points thanks to a block from Daphnis and Williams, along with a service ace from Hoyos. Williams added another kill, but two quick points from Furman evened the score at 4-4. Yurkovich's kill briefly gave the Blue Hose the lead, though Furman quickly tied it again at five apiece.
 
A kill from Rowe, followed by a block from Baranski and Daphnis, put PC ahead 7-5, but Furman answered with six consecutive points to claim an 11-7 lead. Ava Smith entered the game and made an immediate impact with her first kill of the day. Presbyterian called a timeout as Furman extended their lead to 13-8. The Paladins stayed in control, scoring three of the next four points to widen the gap to 16-9.
 
The teams exchanged points, leaving Furman with a 19-11 lead. Baranski and Rowe each added kills, trimming the deficit to six points. With the score at 21-15, Furman moved closer to sealing the set with a pair of kills. Presbyterian called a timeout at 23-15, taking a moment to regroup.
 
Williams then came through with back-to-back kills, and a service ace from Rowe brought Presby within five points at 23-18. After a Furman timeout, Rowe delivered another ace, but the Paladins held on to close out the set 25-19.
 
FOURTH SET
Despite an early hard-hit kill from Smith, Furman quickly jumped out to a 4-1 lead. The teams traded points, bringing the score to 7-4 in favor of the Paladins. The Blue Hose fought back, narrowing the gap to 10-9, thanks to a pair of kills from Rowe and another from Smith. However, Furman responded with four straight points before Williams ended their streak with a kill. A Furman kill sent the teams to the media timeout with the score at 15-10.
 
After the break, the Blue Hose notched two quick points, highlighted by a kill from Ashley Miller. Furman countered with two points of their own, maintaining their five-point advantage at 17-12. PC added two more points, but Furman quickly responded, forcing the Blue Hose to call a timeout at 19-14.
 
As Furman looked to close out the match, the teams exchanged points, bringing the score to 21-16. In the end the Paladins secured the win, taking the fourth set 25-16.
 
NOTABLES
- Williams tallied seven kills in the first set alone, finishing with a career-high of 16 kills while hitting at .364 percent.
- Baranski took her eighth straight double-double behind 37 assists and 16 digs.
- Rowe totaled 11 kills and 19 digs, claiming her fifth double-double of the year.
- Yurkovich added eight kills and three blocks.
- PC edged Furman in service aces (6-5) and digs (67-63).



UP NEXT
The Blue Hose will head to Spartanburg on Friday, September 20 for competition in the Terrier Invite.