Eagles Dominate in 3-0 Sweep of The Citadel
11/8/2009 2:23:00 AM | Volleyball
CHARLESTON, S.C. – Three Eagles posted double-figure kill performances as the Georgia Southern volleyball team swept The Citadel, 3-0, Saturday night (November 7) in McAllister Field House. With the Southern Conference nod, Georgia Southern improved to 19-10 overall and 9-5 in league play. The Bulldogs dropped to 7-22, 2-10.
The Eagles hit .315 for the match led by Lauren Claybaugh (Danville, Calif.) and Kirby Monson (Houston, Tex.) who each posted 11 kills in the match. Both Eagles hit over .400 combining for only two errors in three sets. Sarah Gildersleeve (Naples, Fla.) was the third Eagle in double figures adding 10 kills. Freshman Kate Van Dyke (Shawnee, Kan.) tallied 36 assists on the evening as Cristin Haines (Palos Heights, Ill.) led the defense with 17 digs.
The Citadel was led by Kaona Mercer with 12 kills and Alyssa Holum with 27 assists. Tatum Jestila posted a team-high 17 digs as the Bulldogs hit .183 for the match.
“I was proud of the way our team came in and competed after a disappointing match last night,” said head coach Chad Callihan. “We maintained our poise throughout the evening and kept our focus. Anytime you pull out a road win is great for the team.”
Taking early command of the opening set, Georgia Southern grabbed a 4-2 lead off a Parker Small (Charlotte, N.C.) kill only to gain a five-point lead, 9-4, off three consecutive Claybaugh kills. The Eagles continued their run which culminated into nine unanswered points for a 15-4 advantage. The Bulldogs picked up a point with a Jessica Maas kill before Gildersleeve recorded a pair of kills intermixed with an Eagle error, giving the Eagles a 17-6 lead. Small's fourth kill of the set put the Eagles up 20-9 before a Bulldog service error gave set point, 24-12, to the Eagles. Monson sealed the opening set win for Georgia Southern at 25-13.
Georgia Southern opened set two posting seven unanswered points before Blaine McAllister ended the Bulldog scoring drought with a kill pushing the score to 7-1. McAllister's kill sparked a 5-0 Bulldog run. The Citadel came within two points at 8-6 as Georgia Southern widened its lead back to four at 10-6 following consecutive Bulldog errors from Rachel Farrell. Maintaining a consistent lead, The Citadel took its final timeout of the set as Georgia Southern gathered an 18-14 margin. Sanford's second kill of the set pushed the Eagles to 23-18 before a block assist from Mercer and Maas closed The Citadel to within three at 23-20. Van Dyke gave Georgia Southern set point, 24-21, before the Eagle gave Georgia Southern a dominating 2-0 lead at intermission with a service ace.
The Citadel kept the third set close in the opening points as Mercer tied the score at 3-all with a Bulldog kill. A Bulldog error put the Eagles in the lead, 4-3, as Claybaugh and Monson kills widened the Georgia Southern's lead to 6-3. Claybaugh's third kill of the stanza witnessed a 10-7 Eagle score as a Sanford and Small block assist put Georgia Southern on top, 12-8. A trio of Eagle kills from Sanford and Small forced a 15-9 point difference before the Bulldogs put together a 4-0 run that was broken by a Monson kill for a 16-13 score. Monson's sixth kill of the third set, preceded by a Haines kill, forced a Citadel timeout at 18-14. A pair of Claybaugh kills sandwiched around a Mass Bulldog kill set the score at 23-16 as Sanford gave Georgia Southern match point, 24-16. Sanford secured the Southern Conference win for Georgia Southern with her sixth kill of the set at 25-16.
The Eagles return to the court and conclude their final road swing Tuesday, November 10 at Davidson. First serve is slated for 6:00 p.m.
The Eagles hit .315 for the match led by Lauren Claybaugh (Danville, Calif.) and Kirby Monson (Houston, Tex.) who each posted 11 kills in the match. Both Eagles hit over .400 combining for only two errors in three sets. Sarah Gildersleeve (Naples, Fla.) was the third Eagle in double figures adding 10 kills. Freshman Kate Van Dyke (Shawnee, Kan.) tallied 36 assists on the evening as Cristin Haines (Palos Heights, Ill.) led the defense with 17 digs.
The Citadel was led by Kaona Mercer with 12 kills and Alyssa Holum with 27 assists. Tatum Jestila posted a team-high 17 digs as the Bulldogs hit .183 for the match.
“I was proud of the way our team came in and competed after a disappointing match last night,” said head coach Chad Callihan. “We maintained our poise throughout the evening and kept our focus. Anytime you pull out a road win is great for the team.”
Taking early command of the opening set, Georgia Southern grabbed a 4-2 lead off a Parker Small (Charlotte, N.C.) kill only to gain a five-point lead, 9-4, off three consecutive Claybaugh kills. The Eagles continued their run which culminated into nine unanswered points for a 15-4 advantage. The Bulldogs picked up a point with a Jessica Maas kill before Gildersleeve recorded a pair of kills intermixed with an Eagle error, giving the Eagles a 17-6 lead. Small's fourth kill of the set put the Eagles up 20-9 before a Bulldog service error gave set point, 24-12, to the Eagles. Monson sealed the opening set win for Georgia Southern at 25-13.
Georgia Southern opened set two posting seven unanswered points before Blaine McAllister ended the Bulldog scoring drought with a kill pushing the score to 7-1. McAllister's kill sparked a 5-0 Bulldog run. The Citadel came within two points at 8-6 as Georgia Southern widened its lead back to four at 10-6 following consecutive Bulldog errors from Rachel Farrell. Maintaining a consistent lead, The Citadel took its final timeout of the set as Georgia Southern gathered an 18-14 margin. Sanford's second kill of the set pushed the Eagles to 23-18 before a block assist from Mercer and Maas closed The Citadel to within three at 23-20. Van Dyke gave Georgia Southern set point, 24-21, before the Eagle gave Georgia Southern a dominating 2-0 lead at intermission with a service ace.
The Citadel kept the third set close in the opening points as Mercer tied the score at 3-all with a Bulldog kill. A Bulldog error put the Eagles in the lead, 4-3, as Claybaugh and Monson kills widened the Georgia Southern's lead to 6-3. Claybaugh's third kill of the stanza witnessed a 10-7 Eagle score as a Sanford and Small block assist put Georgia Southern on top, 12-8. A trio of Eagle kills from Sanford and Small forced a 15-9 point difference before the Bulldogs put together a 4-0 run that was broken by a Monson kill for a 16-13 score. Monson's sixth kill of the third set, preceded by a Haines kill, forced a Citadel timeout at 18-14. A pair of Claybaugh kills sandwiched around a Mass Bulldog kill set the score at 23-16 as Sanford gave Georgia Southern match point, 24-16. Sanford secured the Southern Conference win for Georgia Southern with her sixth kill of the set at 25-16.
The Eagles return to the court and conclude their final road swing Tuesday, November 10 at Davidson. First serve is slated for 6:00 p.m.
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