Nov. 2, 2007

Box Score

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Junior Nikki Palazzo led the Paladins with 24 kills in a 3-1 victory over Chattanooga.

In game one, the two teams kept the score close, until Furman pulled away in the second half to take the game 30-22, finishing on three kills from Palazzo and one service ace each from Courtney Stewardson and Chibuzo Aguocha.

The second game saw Chattanooga take an early 11-6 lead, but the Paladins fought back to tie the score at 15 and keep the lead for the rest of the game, finishing with a score of 30-24.

Chattanooga controlled much of game three, including scoring their biggest lead of the match, at 15-10. The Paladins responded to take a 2-point lead, but were unable to hold on as Chattanooga scored four straight points to take the third game 31-29.

The Paladins recovered in game four, and finished the match with a final score of 30-26.

The Mocs were led by outside hitter Leslee Ball, who scored 16 kills, while libero Lara Newberry paced the defense with 31 digs.

Furman was led by Palazzo's 24 kills and .512 attack percentage, while senior Kerry Wooten added 19 kills and 7 total blocks. Three Paladins scored double-doubles, with junior Alison West notching 19 kills and 12 digs, senior Chibuzo Aguocha scoring 13 kills and 16 digs, and senior Courtney Stewardson adding 69 assists and 15 digs. Freshman libero Brooke Ellison led the defense with 26 digs.

With the win, the Paladins improve to 19-6 overall and 12-3 in the conference while Chattanooga falls to 16-12 and 11-4 in the league.

The Paladins embark on their last regular season road trip with a match at Western Carolina on Tuesday. Furman will finish out the season with home stands against The Citadel and College of Charleston.