Volleyball Improves to 4-2 with 3-1 Win over High Point
AUBURN, Ala. – Meredith Paskert posted a match-high 21 kills and hit .320 to lead Georgia Southern to a 3-1 (25-19, 20-25, 25-21, 25-20) volleyball victory over High Point in the Eagles' final game of the Auburn Invitational Sunday afternoon.
Paskert was named all-tournament as the senior finished the weekend with 40 kills in three matches and averaged 3.64 a set.
Enjoli Johnson notched 10 kills and three blocks for the Eagles (4-2), and Jamie DeRatt collected 10 kills and 15 digs. Moriah Bellissimo finished with nine kills and 15 digs, and Kate Van Dyke had 45 assists. Alexandra Beecher added 19 digs.
Courtney Johnk had 15 kills to lead the Panthers (4-3), and Kristin Heldt posted 12 kills. Chelsea Davis finished with 10 kills and 13 digs and Molly Barlow posted a match-high 21 digs.
"We were able to grind out a few more points through some very long rallies, and I thought that was the difference," said Georgia Southern coach Chad Callihan. "The girls made some mistakes but stayed composed in critical moments, which was great to see."
Leading the match 2-1, Georgia Southern pulled away late in the fourth set to win the match. The frame featured 12 ties and seven lead changes before the Eagles distanced themselves. The final tie came at 16-16, when GSU used a 6-1 spurt to open a 22-17 cushion. Johnson ignited the run with a kill, and Paskert added two kills. Paskert added another kill and an ace as GSU took a 24-19 advantage, and Bellissimo finished the match with a kill.
Georgia Southern jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the first set as Paskert contributed two early kills. High Point rallied to tie the score at 13-13, but the Eagles rattled off four straight points, with two kills from Van Dyke, to get some breathing room. GSU pushed the margin to six points with the help of kills by Johnson and DeRatt, and the margin never dipped below four for the remainder of the set.
With the score tied 6-6 in the second set, Georgia Southern used a 4-0 run, capped by block from Johnson and Paskert to open a 10-6 cushion. High Point responded with a 9-1 run, with two kills by Jamie McDonald, to open a 15-11 lead. The margin never fell below four points from there as the Panthers took the frame 25-20.
The Eagles led the third set by as many as eight points at 18-10 following consecutive kills by Paskert and Van Dyke. But High Point fought back, and a McDonald ace made the margin 20-18. Kills by Bellissimo and DeRatt extended the margin to four and with the Eagles leading 23-21, the duo notched consecutive kills to win the set.
The Eagles play their home opener Tuesday against Mercer. Game time is set for 6 p.m. in Hanner Fieldhouse.
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- Category: Volleyball
- Published on Sunday, 31 December 1899 19:00
