Georgia Southern Falls to Ohio State in Hilton Classic
9/5/2009 8:58:00 PM | Volleyball
FORT COLLINS, Colo. - Bethany Sanford paced the Georgia Southern Eagles with nine kills, while Kate Van Dyke continued to shine with 21 assists as the Eagles took on Ohio State in Moby Arena. The Buckeyes swept the Eagles in three sets (25-18, 25-13, 25-17) to close out the Hilton Classic Saturday morning (September 5).
The loss drops Georgia Southern to 3-3 on the season, while Ohio State improved to 5-1. The Buckeyes commanded the lead the duration of the match beginning with the first set.
In the opening stanza, the Eagles kept the set close. Off three kills by Georgia Southern, the score stood at 11-6. Van Dyke's (Shawnee, Kan.) first kill made the score 11-7 and her second forced an Ohio State timeout at 14-10. A 5-3 run gave Ohio State a seven-point margin at 20-13. The Buckeyes capitalized on Georgia Southern errors and closed out the set, 25-18 on an Eagle error.
Georgia Southern held a 2-1 lead at the start of the second set before an Ohio State kill tied the score at 2-all. The Buckeyes would hold the lead for the remainder of the set. After an Eagle timeout, Ohio State widened its lead to six, 11-5, off two kills and three Georgia Southern errors. The Buckeyes took a six point lead, 16-10, sparking a 5-0 run to take a commanding 21-10 lead. A Sanford (Avondale, Ariz.) kill snapped the run at 21-11. Consecutive kills by Leah Kettelson (Wray, Colo.) would be the final two points Georgia Southern would post as Ohio State closed out the set, 25-13.
The Buckeyes hit a game-high .556 from the floor in the second set, led by Emily Danks with five kills. Georgia Southern was held to a .030 attempt from the floor in the second stanza.
After a 1-all tie in the third set, Ohio State never relinquished the lead. A .324 hitting percentage with 15 kills allowed the Buckeyes to close out the final set, 25-17. Katie Dull and Kristen Dozier paced the Buckeyes with four kills each. Sanford and Moriah Bellissimo (Blackstone, Va.) led the Eagles with three kills each as Georgia Southern hit .139 from the floor.
For the game, the Eagles hit .109 with 31 kills, 27 assists and 35 digs. Sanford posted a team-high nine kills to Van Dyke's 21 assists. Senior Cristin Haines (Palos Heights, Ill.) contributed a team-high nine digs for the Eagles. Ohio State struck .408 from the floor with 46 kills, 40 assists and 43 digs. Katie Dull contributed 12 kills to the winning effort, followed by Dozier with 11. Amanda Peterson posted 35 of Ohio State's 40 assists.
Georgia Southern will look to snap this three-match skid when they travel to Savannah State on Monday, September 7. Match time is slated for 2 p.m.
