Friday, September 21, 2001

GREENVILLE, South Carolina -- Furman's Lady Paladin volleyball team lost its first home match of the year Friday night, in a 31-29, 39-37, 30-27 sweep by the Bucs of East Tennessee State. Though all three games were close, the second was a true battle of wills, as the score climbed to 39 before either team was able to take the necessary two-point advantage. Furman outhit the Bucs .368 to .354 in the first game, and .188 to .173 in the second, but was unable to put away the crucial points to take the win. "We got outplayed when it really counted tonight," said coach Michelle Young. "We made mistakes on routine plays that cost us the match." The Bucs were led on the night by Kate Steidle, who scored 28 kills and had 12 digs in the three games. Natalie Atzinger also added 13 kills and had a team-high 15 digs, while Amber Ciskowski totaled 10 kills. The Lady Paladins were paced by junior Laura Bush's 15 kills, while Abby Simon added 12 and Amber Montague chipped in 11. Carrier Rowley was the top Furman defender with 16 digs. With the win, ETSU improves to 5-1 on the year and 2-1 in Southern Conference play, while Furman falls to 5-2 overall and 1-1 in the league. The Bucs return to action as they conclude their weekend road trip on Sunday at 2 p.m. at Wofford in Spartanburg, S.C.