STATESBORO – Lauren Reichard posted 15 kills and seven blocks, and Georgia Southern erased a 24-19 deficit in the second set to take a 3-1 (23-25, 26-24, 25-22, 25-19) exhibition volleyball victory over Georgia College Saturday at the RAC.

Cathrine Murray added 12 kills, 11 digs and four blocks for the Eagles, and Megan Chevalier tallied nine kills and a pair of blocks.

Libby Bochniak had 12 kills and eight digs to lead Georgia College, and Kayla Brockway recorded 33 assists and 17 digs.

The story
After winning the first set, Georgia College was threatening to make it 2-0 after a Taylor Svehla kill gave the Bobcats set point at 24-19 in the second. The Eagles responded with a huge run, scoring the next seven points to steal the set 26-24.

Murray got sideout for the Eagles with a kill and was able to serve out the set, and Reichard added a kill and two blocks. With GS leading 25-24, the junior middle's solo block gave the set to the Eagles.

Quotable from head coach Dustin Wood
"We needed to get some of our kids some time in match conditions. We had two freshmen start. They needed to get a taste of what it was like, and I'm pretty proud of both those freshmen and how they handled themselves. We had some sophomores step up. Brooke Birch did a pretty good job stepping in there, and Carly Turner did some nice things and then our upperclassmen - Cathrine Murray did some things and Lauren Reichard was a force."

"We struggled a little bit setting early on and we didn't pass very well, which hurt our setters a little bit, but they stuck with it. I was pretty proud when they came back in the second set. We needed that - some confidence - and it showed through sets three and four. They were just really tight at times, but they pressed through it and became more relaxed as the match went on so that's what we expected out of an exhibition match."

"Just focusing on our first touch - when our first touch was good, we did very well. We were a little panicky back there, but we'll fix that this week and move on to next week."

Next up
GS will open the campaign at the Florida Gulf Coast Invitational next Friday. The Eagles host two tournaments - the Bash in the Boro Sept. 1-2 and the GATA Challenge Sept. 8-9.

Season tickets sales for Georgia Southern volleyball are currently underway, and one $40 season ticket covers general admission seating for all home matches. Parking is free. 

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