SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The Wofford volleyball team played the opening match of the 2019 Southern Conference Championship at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium on Friday, falling to Furman in four sets. 

The Paladins, the No. 5 seed, took a 2-0 lead, winning set one 25-15 and set two 25-23, before the Terriers, the No. 4 seed, battled back and won set three 25-21. Set four was closely contested, but Furman pulled away towards the end, winning 25-21 and advancing to Saturday's semifinal matchup. Wofford finishes the season 15-16 overall, going 8-8 in regular season conference play, and an impressive 10-2 mark at home. 

Furman was a force at the net, recording 19 blocks and 53 kills, while Wofford totaled seven blocks and 45 kills on the day. The Paladins' Courtney Hoffman registered a match-high nine blocks, while Lydia Morris and Neci Harris each had six. 

"It's a tough pill to swallow right now," said Wofford head coach Lynze Roos. "But it doesn't change the fact that our seniors leave behind a tremendous legacy.

Wofford's all-time leader in kills, Catie Cronister sent home a match-high 20 kills while picking up 12 digs and three aces, registering her 14th double-double of the season and 52nd of her career, ranking first all-time at Wofford in that category. 

"I can't say enough about Catie and what she's done for our program," Roos said of Cronister. "She's been a blast to coach and the records she set here will be hard to touch. 

Lorissa King, who also played her last match on Friday, dished out 46 assists and added 12 digs, while Riley Coonan sent home 13 kills. Meghan Yaffa, who was named to the all-freshman team on Wednesday, totaled 10 kills and eight digs in the effort. 

Set one was back and forth with the teams knotted up at 11-11 after Cronister recorded her first ace of the contest. Furman would go on its first run of the day, taking the next seven points before extending its lead to nine, finishing off the set 25-15 via a kill from Mack. 

Wofford responded early in the second, as Cronister and Coonan put the Terriers ahead 6-3. Furman would rally to take the lead, only to have a Cronister ace even the set at nine points apiece. The Paladins would respond with a 6-0 run, making the score 23-17 as they looked to go up 2-0. Wofford fought back, getting two kills from Connan and a kill from Kelly Hubbard that made the deficit just three, but a pair of errors put Furman ahead by two sets. 

The Terriers took an early lead in the third set, but would not relinquish it this time. When Furman made the score 12-11 in favor of Wofford, the Terriers responded by winning four of the next five points to give themselves some breathing room. After taking a 21-16 lead, Furman won the next four points as it aimed for the sweep but kills from Coonan, Yaffa and Cronister pushed the match to a fourth set. 

Wofford took the momentum into the fourth, jumping out in front 11-4. Furman would work its way back into the set, however, as a 5-0 run near the midpoint of the set tied the score at 12-12. The Paladins pulled ahead 18-14, but the Terriers did not go down without a fight, making the score 23-20 after a kill from Kelly Bossert. After the teams traded points, Harris sent home her 17th kill of the match to seal the victory for Furman. 

"Furman played a great match and we had a tough time getting past their block, Roos said. "They are a well-coached, solid team who can definitely win this tournament."