GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Closing out the Furman Invitational, the Winthrop University volleyball team took on the host Paladins, falling to them, 3-1, in a closely contested contest.
Winthrop volleyball celebrated two more milestones as Isabella Murray became just the seventh Eagle to surpass 3,000 career assists and Avery Jolley set a career-high with 24 kills. Rachel McCollum almost netted her second straight triple-double, after notching the programs first one since 2012.
Thanks to their efforts over the weekend, Avery Jolley and Rachel McCollum were both named to the Furman Invitational All-Tournament team
Winthrop (3-5, 0-0 Big South), Furman (7-2, 0-0 SoCon)
Sept. 13, 2025 | Greenville, S.C. | Alley Gymnasium
Winthrop 1, Furman 3 (21-25, 20-25, 25-17, 24-26)
Top Performers
Kills - Avery Jolley (24), Paige Bennett (12), Rachel McCollum (9)
Aces - Avery Jolley (4), Paige Bennett (2), Isabella Murray (1)
Blocks - Teagan Sychterz (6), Laila Glover (2), Avery Jolley (1)
Assists - Isabella Murray (28), Rachel McCollum (21), Sophia Matthews (5)
Digs - Avery Jolley (12), Rachel McCollum (12), Sophia Matthews (12)
Game Recap
Set 1
- Winthrop was able to jump out to an early lead, going ahead 5-1
- The Paladins flipped the script throughout the first set, tying things up at 14-14 before mounting the lead at 19-17
- Paige Bennett contributed kills late to keep score tight, but consistent kills from Furman saw the Paladins take the first set, 25-21
Set 2
- Furman flipped the script, storming ahead to a 5-1 lead
- The Paladins continued to add onto their built-up buffer to 18-10
- Paige Bennett and Avery Jolley traded kills to keep the Eagles within striking distance with a mid-set run cut it to 19–17, fueled by two straight Jolley service aces
- Furman was able to capitalize on Winthrop errors, taking the second set 25-20
Set 3
- Trailing 9-4, the Eagles sparked a eight-point swing to mount a 12-9 lead, flipping the momentum
- The Eagles forced Furman into their worst hitting performance on the night, a mark of 0.125
- Winthrop went on another run, as the score sat within two points at 15-13, the Eagles rattled off eight of the next nine points to put themselves firmly in control of the set, taking it 25-17
Set 4
- The fourth set was a back-and-forth battle with 13 ties and 6 lead changes
- Avery Jolley delivered late kills and an ace to put Winthrop on the brink of forcing a fifth set with set point at 24–22
- Furman called a timeout to regroup and saved both set points and closed on a 4–0 run to take the match
NEXT MATCH
The Eagles return home for a weekend homestand against Western Carolina on Thursday and Queens on Saturday for the Battle of I-77
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