Eagles Hit the Road for Charleston Southern and Wingate Inn Classic
9/15/2009 8:49:00 PM | Volleyball
STATESBORO, GA – The Georgia Southern volleyball team hits the road for a match-up against Charleston Southern on Wednesday (September 16) before closing out its fall tournament schedule at the Wingate Inn Classic over the weekend. Going 2-1 over the weekend at the Bash in the 'Boro presented by Verizon Wireless, the Eagles stand at 6-4 on the season heading into this week's action.
Sophomore Bethany Sanford tabbed her second Southern Conference Volleyball Player of the Week honor in three weeks for her efforts on the court over the weekend. Sanford, an Avondale, Ariz., native hit .211 with 59 kills, 44 digs, six blocks, and five service aces. Sanford was joined by Sarah Gildersleeve on the All-Tournament Team. Gildersleeve, a junior from Naples, Fla., tabulated 33 kills on a .403 hitting percentage.
Georgia Southern captured weekend wins over ACC veteran Wake Forest (3-2) and Coastal Carolina (3-1), securing a spot in the championship match against Auburn. Dropping the first set, the Eagles responded taking the next two before the Tigers captured the fourth set, forcing a deciding fifth set. Tied at 10-all, the Eagles and Tigers tossed the lead back-and-forth to a 13-all tie before Auburn secured the match with the next two points, winning the tournament title.
Up Next
The Eagles take on the Charleston Southern Bucs Wednesday night, September 16, at 7 p.m. in the Buc Dome. The Bucs, 4-5 on the year, are coming off a 3-0 sweep of The Citadel Bulldogs. CSU hit .345 on 42 digs for the match, holding The Citadel to a .045 attack percentage and 26 digs. Junior outside hitter Amanda Hill posted her third double-double of the season with 13 kills and 15 digs. Senior setter Sam Sasan led all players with 35 assists, five digs and four kills.
Scouting Weekend Opponents
James Madison, Gardner-Webb and host Winthrop are all on tap for weekend competition at the Wingate Inn Classic in Rock Hill, S.C. The Eagles open play against James Madison, Friday, September 18 at 11 a.m. Friday night action concludes with Georgia Southern taking on host Winthrop at 7:30 p.m. The Eagles round out the tournament on Saturday at 11 a.m. with Gardner-Webb.
Picked to finish sixth in the Colonial Athletic Association, James Madison enters the weekend tournament 4-6 on the season. JMU returns four regular contributors and seven letterwinners from a 2008 squad that went 13-18 overall, finishing 7th in league competition. The Dukes dropped three matches at the Comfort Suites 49er Volleyball tournament this past weekend.
The 3-7 Lady Bulldogs of Gardner-Webb went 2-1 over the weekend at the VB Rags Western Carolina Invitational. Gardner-Webb topped host Western Carolina and Howard, each in four sets, but suffered a sweep to Cleveland State in the midst. The Lady Bulldogs are led by three seniors, with the remaining eight players being underclassmen. The reigning Big South Conference Freshman of the Year, Laura Wilcox, returns a sophomore for the 2009 season. The 2008 Lady Bulldogs went 5-27 for the season and 3-13 in conference play. They return four starters and seven letterwinners and added four newcomers to the 2009 roster.
Winthrop, the 2009 Hilton Garden Invitational tournament champions, improved to 5-4 on the season with wins over North Carolina Central and Butler to take the tournament title this past weekend. Kaley Viola earned Tournament MVP honors and was joined on the All-Tournament Team by Kristin Cruse and Baylee Strachan, who was selected Big South Volleyball Freshman of the Week. The Eagles return four starters and nine lettermen from a 2008 squad that went 11-20 overall and 7-9 in the Big South.
Conference Slate
After the Eagles conclude the weekend tournament, Georgia Southern continues road action opening conference play at Wofford and Furman, September 25 and 26, respectively.
Sophomore Bethany Sanford tabbed her second Southern Conference Volleyball Player of the Week honor in three weeks for her efforts on the court over the weekend. Sanford, an Avondale, Ariz., native hit .211 with 59 kills, 44 digs, six blocks, and five service aces. Sanford was joined by Sarah Gildersleeve on the All-Tournament Team. Gildersleeve, a junior from Naples, Fla., tabulated 33 kills on a .403 hitting percentage.
Georgia Southern captured weekend wins over ACC veteran Wake Forest (3-2) and Coastal Carolina (3-1), securing a spot in the championship match against Auburn. Dropping the first set, the Eagles responded taking the next two before the Tigers captured the fourth set, forcing a deciding fifth set. Tied at 10-all, the Eagles and Tigers tossed the lead back-and-forth to a 13-all tie before Auburn secured the match with the next two points, winning the tournament title.
Up Next
The Eagles take on the Charleston Southern Bucs Wednesday night, September 16, at 7 p.m. in the Buc Dome. The Bucs, 4-5 on the year, are coming off a 3-0 sweep of The Citadel Bulldogs. CSU hit .345 on 42 digs for the match, holding The Citadel to a .045 attack percentage and 26 digs. Junior outside hitter Amanda Hill posted her third double-double of the season with 13 kills and 15 digs. Senior setter Sam Sasan led all players with 35 assists, five digs and four kills.
Scouting Weekend Opponents
James Madison, Gardner-Webb and host Winthrop are all on tap for weekend competition at the Wingate Inn Classic in Rock Hill, S.C. The Eagles open play against James Madison, Friday, September 18 at 11 a.m. Friday night action concludes with Georgia Southern taking on host Winthrop at 7:30 p.m. The Eagles round out the tournament on Saturday at 11 a.m. with Gardner-Webb.
Picked to finish sixth in the Colonial Athletic Association, James Madison enters the weekend tournament 4-6 on the season. JMU returns four regular contributors and seven letterwinners from a 2008 squad that went 13-18 overall, finishing 7th in league competition. The Dukes dropped three matches at the Comfort Suites 49er Volleyball tournament this past weekend.
The 3-7 Lady Bulldogs of Gardner-Webb went 2-1 over the weekend at the VB Rags Western Carolina Invitational. Gardner-Webb topped host Western Carolina and Howard, each in four sets, but suffered a sweep to Cleveland State in the midst. The Lady Bulldogs are led by three seniors, with the remaining eight players being underclassmen. The reigning Big South Conference Freshman of the Year, Laura Wilcox, returns a sophomore for the 2009 season. The 2008 Lady Bulldogs went 5-27 for the season and 3-13 in conference play. They return four starters and seven letterwinners and added four newcomers to the 2009 roster.
Winthrop, the 2009 Hilton Garden Invitational tournament champions, improved to 5-4 on the season with wins over North Carolina Central and Butler to take the tournament title this past weekend. Kaley Viola earned Tournament MVP honors and was joined on the All-Tournament Team by Kristin Cruse and Baylee Strachan, who was selected Big South Volleyball Freshman of the Week. The Eagles return four starters and nine lettermen from a 2008 squad that went 11-20 overall and 7-9 in the Big South.
Conference Slate
After the Eagles conclude the weekend tournament, Georgia Southern continues road action opening conference play at Wofford and Furman, September 25 and 26, respectively.
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