Small Shines as Eagles Sweep Spartans, 3-0
10/16/2010 12:33:00 AM | Volleyball
STATESBORO, Ga. – Junior Parker Small (Charlotte, N.C.) hit .722 with 13 kills on 18 swings leading Georgia Southern to a 3-0 (27-25, 25-11, 25-22) victory over UNC Greensboro Friday night (October 15) in Hanner Fieldhouse. The Eagles handled the second-ranked North Division Spartans to improve to 14-7 overall and 5-1 in Southern Conference action. UNCG dropped to 16-6, 4-3.
“I thought we had good floor defense and scouted them [UNC Greensboro] really well,” commented Head Coach Chad Callihan. “They have a few tendencies we were able to key in on and I thought we did a nice job of executing what we talked about this week in practice.”
Small collected 13 kills with no errors to record her second-best hitting percentage of the season (.722). Bethany Sanford (Avondale, Ariz.) followed with 11 kills and posted a match-best 18 digs for her 13th double-double of the season. Sophomore Kate Van Dyke (Shawnee, Kan.) reeled in 40 assists.
“Parker [Small] had one of the best matches I've seen in all my years of coaching,” stated Callihan. “I thought beyond the numbers she posted, the fact that she did it against a player that is ranked sixth in the nation in blocking, is all the more impressive.”
The opening frame was the most competitive as the conference teams worked through 16 tied scores and seven lead changes. Small smashed five kills on five swings to lead the Eagles to a 27-25 first set win. Tied at 8-8, Georgia Southern took the lead using a 3-0 run for an 11-8 advantage. UNCG crawled back, knotted the score at 14-apiece and took a 17-14 lead, forcing Georgia Southern to burn a timeout. The Eagles evened the score at 17-17 as the teams would tie the set seven more times until Hannah Nelson (Norcross, Ga.) handed the Eagles their second set point at 26-25. A Spartan attack error sealed the set for Georgia Southern, 27-25.
Sanford and Small combined for eight kills, four each, in the second set as Georgia Southern took a 2-0 match lead with a 25-11 victory. The Eagles took the final lead after a 5-5 tie and closed the frame with a 4-0 run.
The Eagles controlled the third frame, never trailing in the final set. Sanford racked up five kills to lead Georgia Southern to a 25-22 third set win. The Eagles pulled out with a 6-1 lead, but UNCG fought back, bringing the score to a one point deficit at 19-18. The Spartans kept the match to a one-point Eagle advantage until Small's third kill gave Georgia Southern a 23-21 lead. Sarah Gildersleeve (Naples, Fla.) sealed the match win at 25-22 with her second kill of the set.
The win snapped a six-match win streak UNCG held over Georgia Southern entering the match. The last Eagle win over the Spartans dated back to 2005 when Georgia Southern defeated UNCG in Hanner Fieldhouse, 3-1.
Georgia Southern plays host to the top-ranked foe in the North Division, Elon, on Sunday. Match time is slated for 2 p.m. Score updates for all Georgia Southern Volleyball matches will be available at twitter.com/GSScores and fans can get updated information on facebook.com/GSAthletics. Complete coverage of the Eagles can be found at www.GeorgiaSouthernEagles.com.
“I thought we had good floor defense and scouted them [UNC Greensboro] really well,” commented Head Coach Chad Callihan. “They have a few tendencies we were able to key in on and I thought we did a nice job of executing what we talked about this week in practice.”
Small collected 13 kills with no errors to record her second-best hitting percentage of the season (.722). Bethany Sanford (Avondale, Ariz.) followed with 11 kills and posted a match-best 18 digs for her 13th double-double of the season. Sophomore Kate Van Dyke (Shawnee, Kan.) reeled in 40 assists.
“Parker [Small] had one of the best matches I've seen in all my years of coaching,” stated Callihan. “I thought beyond the numbers she posted, the fact that she did it against a player that is ranked sixth in the nation in blocking, is all the more impressive.”
The opening frame was the most competitive as the conference teams worked through 16 tied scores and seven lead changes. Small smashed five kills on five swings to lead the Eagles to a 27-25 first set win. Tied at 8-8, Georgia Southern took the lead using a 3-0 run for an 11-8 advantage. UNCG crawled back, knotted the score at 14-apiece and took a 17-14 lead, forcing Georgia Southern to burn a timeout. The Eagles evened the score at 17-17 as the teams would tie the set seven more times until Hannah Nelson (Norcross, Ga.) handed the Eagles their second set point at 26-25. A Spartan attack error sealed the set for Georgia Southern, 27-25.
Sanford and Small combined for eight kills, four each, in the second set as Georgia Southern took a 2-0 match lead with a 25-11 victory. The Eagles took the final lead after a 5-5 tie and closed the frame with a 4-0 run.
The Eagles controlled the third frame, never trailing in the final set. Sanford racked up five kills to lead Georgia Southern to a 25-22 third set win. The Eagles pulled out with a 6-1 lead, but UNCG fought back, bringing the score to a one point deficit at 19-18. The Spartans kept the match to a one-point Eagle advantage until Small's third kill gave Georgia Southern a 23-21 lead. Sarah Gildersleeve (Naples, Fla.) sealed the match win at 25-22 with her second kill of the set.
The win snapped a six-match win streak UNCG held over Georgia Southern entering the match. The last Eagle win over the Spartans dated back to 2005 when Georgia Southern defeated UNCG in Hanner Fieldhouse, 3-1.
Georgia Southern plays host to the top-ranked foe in the North Division, Elon, on Sunday. Match time is slated for 2 p.m. Score updates for all Georgia Southern Volleyball matches will be available at twitter.com/GSScores and fans can get updated information on facebook.com/GSAthletics. Complete coverage of the Eagles can be found at www.GeorgiaSouthernEagles.com.
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