Eagles Drop Decision to Mavericks at Hilton Classic
9/5/2009 2:17:00 AM | Volleyball
FORT COLLINS, Colo. - The Georgia Southern women's volleyball team held the lead in the first two sets, but UT Arlington came-from-behind to grab each set and take the match in three sets (25-21, 26-24, 25-17). Lauren Claybaugh posted a team-high 12 kills as Kate Van Dyke led the Eagles in assists with 25 at the Hilton Classic in Moby Arena Friday (September 4).
Georgia Southern dropped to 3-2 on the season while UT Arlington improved to 2-3.
Two Maverick errors opened the first set as the Eagles jumped out to an early 2-0 advantage. At 7-all, Georgia Southern benefitted from four kills, three Maverick errors and a block assist by Van Dyke (Shawnee, Kan.) and Sarah Gildersleeve (Naples, Fla.) to pull away with a dominating 15-8 lead. After six set ties, UT Arlington responded with a 6-2 run to draw the set to within three points, 17-14. At a 20-17 GSU lead, the Mavericks capitalized on two Georgia Southern errors and a block to tie the match at 20-all. UT Arlington took the lead at 21-20 and closed out the set, 25-21.
In set two, it was a back-and-forth affair as neither team held more than a two point lead until the Eagles gained an 11-8 advantage. Holding a 12-10 lead, Georgia Southern benefitted from four Maverick errors to widen its lead to six at 16-10, forcing a UT Arlington timeout. Two kills by Bethany Sanford (Avondale, Ariz.) and an ace by Van Dyke pushed the margin to 19-10. The Eagles led by as many as nine at 20-11 before the Mavericks went on a 15-4 run on seven errors by Georgia Southern; UT Arlington came-from-behind to take the second set, 26-24.
Georgia Southern would hold a 2-1 lead in the third set before UT Arlington recaptured the lead for the duration of the set. Hitting errors plagued the Eagles as the Mavericks secured the match with a 25-17 third stanza off four kills by Bianca Sauls.
UT Arlington hit .152 from the floor with 31 kills, 28 assists and 35 digs. Sauls led the Mavericks with a team-high eight kills for a .087 hitting percentage and eight digs. Raegen Daniel posted 20 assists in the Mavericks' winning effort.
Georgia Southern was led by Claybaugh (Danville, Calif.) who registered a .194 hitting percentage with 12 kills. Van Dyke posted 25 of the Eagles' 30 assists, while Sanford led the team with nine digs. For the match, Georgia Southern hit .047 from the floor with 32 kills, 30 assists and 25 digs.
The final day of the Hilton Classic takes place on Saturday, September 5. Georgia Southern will look to rebound from this two-match skid when it closes out the tournament facing Ohio State at 11 a.m. local time (MT).
