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Liberty University
3-5
Furman
2-6
Liberty Rallies for 4-Set Victory Over Furman
9/10/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Liberty fought back after dropping set one, winning the next three sets to take a 3-1 (19-25, 25-18, 25-18, 28-26) victory over Furman, Saturday at Davidson's Belk Arena.
With the win, Liberty improves to 3-5 on the season, and is 1-1 heading into tonight's 6 p.m. match against Davidson. Furman falls to 2-6, including a 0-2 mark at the Davidson Wildcat Classic.
Casey Goodwin scored 18 kills and added five blocks. Sydney Morris totaled 12 kills and 11 digs for her first career double-double, while Anna Willey dished out 40 assists. Willey is now tied with Lara Bartolomeo (2004-07) for 10th place all-time at Liberty with 1,467 career assists. Sirena Vorster contributed 10 kills and eight blocks, while Margaret Latchford collected 16 digs and Anna Gragg posted five blocks.
Furman's Jamila Johnson led all players with 19 kills, adding 15 digs. Annie Bierman (13 kills, 16 digs) also recorded a double-double. Ashton Stocker dished out a match-high 43 assists, while Christen Sikora sent down 10 kills.
The Paladins burst out of the gates, leading the first set, 16-6. Goodwin and Vorster combined for two blocks during a 6-0 Liberty rally, narrowing the gap to 16-12. Furman pulled away late, winning the opening set, 25-19.
Furman held a .114-.023 advantage in hitting during the opening set, despite four blocks by the Lady Flames.
Liberty overcame an early 11-6 deficit in set two, as a Goodwin-Gragg block sealed an 8-2 Lady Flames run to give them a 14-13 lead. Johnson gave Furman a 17-16 lead with a kill, but Liberty outscored the Paladins, 9-1 down the stretch to win the set.
The Lady Flames outhit Furman, .238-.047, during the second session, with Liberty posting five blocks. Goodwin and Vorster scored five kills for the Lady Flames, while Furman's Johnson had five kills.
During set three, Liberty built a 10-point lead, 16-6, with a Vorster-Carter block. Liberty held a sizeable lead throughout the set, holding off a late Furman surge to win, 25-19. The Lady Flames attacked at a .433 clip, led by five kills from Goodwin, while Furman hit .226.
Set four went back and forth, with 23 ties and nine lead changes. Furman led, 23-22, after a Bierman kill. Goodwin tied it with a kill, and a Furman error made it 24-23. After four rally points, an attack error gave Furman a 26-25 lead. Then, Goodwin, Gragg and Willey sent down consecutive kills to seal the match for Liberty.
