Volleyball Starts Final Homestand Friday
11/6/2008 5:10:00 AM | Volleyball
STATESBORO, Ga. --- The 2008 volleyball season enters the homestretch as the Eagles play their final four regular-season matches in Hanner Fieldhouse starting Friday night.
Georgia Southern host The Citadel at 7 p.m. and welcome the College of Charleston to Statesboro Sunday for a 2 p.m. tilt.
The homestand comes at a key time of the season. The Eagles have lost four of their last six overall but have won their last three at home.
“Hopefully we can get some much-needed rest,” said head coach Chad Callihan. “The last few weeks have been quite a grind for us. The last road trip to Samford and Chattanooga makes for a long weekend. So we get an opportunity to rest and sleep in our own bed and spend less time in a different environment.”
GSU's next two opponents represent the two extremes in the Southern Conference standings. The Citadel enter the weekend with a three-match losing streak and a 1-13 mark in league play (8-20 overall), while Charleston currently hold a 13-1 mark in league play (20-6).
Georgia Southern edged out The Citadel 3-1 a month ago but fell 3-0 to Charleston.
“For us, we've been trying to put more of an emphasis on focusing less on the opponent and play our best night in and night out because we've been up-and-down ourselves and it's been tough to figure out what kind of product we'll put on the floor. So we've really talked about worrying less about The Citadel or Charleston and making sure we're ready to play regardless of who's across the net.”
The Citadel have been swept in each of their past three matches, but won two of three prior to their recent skid.
“They're a scrappy team, they make quite a few plays and keep the ball in play,” said Callihan. “For us, it's about being consistent with our approach, making sure we don't get frustrated and not feeling like we need to do too much. If we can be consistent and not have any big lapses or breakdowns then things will happen for us.”
Charleston have matched Samford for the best record in the league and have already clinched the South Division title. The Cougars rank second in hitting percentage (.246) and kills (13.54 p/s), and top the league in blocks (2.61 p/s)
“They really get after it,” said Callihan. “They really make you work for every point, and I think that breaks a lot of teams' will after awhile. They've developed a mystique ? they've dominated the conference the last few years ? and teams know that. You can kind of get out of what you do because you get so caught up in trying to beat Charleston as opposed to viewing it as another match. Hopefully we can look at it as the latter and just go out and play hard and establish some momentum early.”
Georgia Southern host The Citadel at 7 p.m. and welcome the College of Charleston to Statesboro Sunday for a 2 p.m. tilt.
The homestand comes at a key time of the season. The Eagles have lost four of their last six overall but have won their last three at home.
“Hopefully we can get some much-needed rest,” said head coach Chad Callihan. “The last few weeks have been quite a grind for us. The last road trip to Samford and Chattanooga makes for a long weekend. So we get an opportunity to rest and sleep in our own bed and spend less time in a different environment.”
GSU's next two opponents represent the two extremes in the Southern Conference standings. The Citadel enter the weekend with a three-match losing streak and a 1-13 mark in league play (8-20 overall), while Charleston currently hold a 13-1 mark in league play (20-6).
Georgia Southern edged out The Citadel 3-1 a month ago but fell 3-0 to Charleston.
“For us, we've been trying to put more of an emphasis on focusing less on the opponent and play our best night in and night out because we've been up-and-down ourselves and it's been tough to figure out what kind of product we'll put on the floor. So we've really talked about worrying less about The Citadel or Charleston and making sure we're ready to play regardless of who's across the net.”
The Citadel have been swept in each of their past three matches, but won two of three prior to their recent skid.
“They're a scrappy team, they make quite a few plays and keep the ball in play,” said Callihan. “For us, it's about being consistent with our approach, making sure we don't get frustrated and not feeling like we need to do too much. If we can be consistent and not have any big lapses or breakdowns then things will happen for us.”
Charleston have matched Samford for the best record in the league and have already clinched the South Division title. The Cougars rank second in hitting percentage (.246) and kills (13.54 p/s), and top the league in blocks (2.61 p/s)
“They really get after it,” said Callihan. “They really make you work for every point, and I think that breaks a lot of teams' will after awhile. They've developed a mystique ? they've dominated the conference the last few years ? and teams know that. You can kind of get out of what you do because you get so caught up in trying to beat Charleston as opposed to viewing it as another match. Hopefully we can look at it as the latter and just go out and play hard and establish some momentum early.”
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