SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Five days after sweeping defending Southern Conference Tournament champion Samford on its home floor, the Wofford volleyball team welcomed the defending regular season champion, Furman, to Benjamin Johnson Arena.
 
The Terriers picked up right where they left off, rolling past Furman in three sets (25-20, 25-16, 25-23) Wednesday evening to hand the Paladins (10-5, 4-1 SoCon) their first loss of the conference season. Sophomore Bella Santoro led the way, going for a match-high 14 kills and season-high three aces. She started the night with a kill on the very first point and ended the match by splitting two Paladins with an ace.
 
"Bella started the match so strong and made herself a factor from the very beginning," said head coach Lynze Roos. "I love that she was able to finish it the way she did with an ace. She's stepping into the role of a go-to player."
 
The win improved Wofford to 2-2 in Southern Conference play and 9-10 overall. It was Wofford's first win over the Paladins since 2012, ending Furman's six-match series winning streak. It was also Wofford's first series win at home since 2005 and the Terriers' first sweep of Furman in the series' 48-match history, which dates back to 1980.
 
"I really like the way this team has come out with a purpose and taken a lot of pride in their training and each other," added Roos on Wofford's back-to-back Southern Conference wins. "They've executed the game plan and beaten some teams that have been strong in this conference."
 
Wofford ended the night outhitting Furman .193 to .069. A 5-1 run turned a 15-all first set into a 20-16 cushion before the Terriers went on to take the opener by five. They rode that momentum into the second, hitting .351 with 16 kills to run away with it and take a two-set lead into the intermission.
 
Despite attacking -.026 with only seven kills in the final set, Wofford was able to close out the sweep. Santoro, junior Ellie Tallman and freshman Colleen Reilly combined for four aces and Furman committed 14 errors – eight on the attack, three on serve and three ball-handling errors.
 
Danni Densford attacked at a match-high .538, posting eight kills with a lone error on 13 swings. The second-year middle also rose up for a team-high three blocks.
 
"She did what we asked her to do," said Roos on her sophomore from Indiana. "She moved around and made herself available. When she gets going, she can be a really effective player."
 
Reilly matched Densford's three blocks, while sophomore Alex Holland and redshirt freshman Lauren Miller each went for a pair. The defensive effort helped Wofford outblock the Paladins 7-4 on the night.
 
Senior libero Jessica Graham went into the night needing 17 digs to break the program's career record at home. She went for 13, mostly because the match lasted just three sets, and will have to break Reagan Styles' record of 1,631 career digs on the road, where the Terriers play their next five matches.
 
The five-match road swing begins with two Southern Conference contests this weekend. The Terriers travel to Mercer for a 3 p.m., start on Saturday, followed by a Sunday afternoon matchup at The Citadel.
 
Terrier Notes:
- Wofford defeated Furman for the first time since 2012 and for the first time at home since 2005.
- It was Wofford's first three-set win over the Paladins in the 48-match series history, which dates back to 1980.
- Wofford held Furman to its second-lowest hitting percentage of the season (.069).