Jeschelnik and Eagles Clip Mountaineers, 3-1
10/24/2010 10:32:00 PM | Volleyball
BOONE, N.C. – Nicole Jeschelnik (Ladera Ranch, Calif.) unloaded a career-high 16 kills Sunday afternoon (October 24) sending the Georgia Southern Volleyball team past Appalachian State 3-1 (25-17, 27-29, 25-21, 25-17) in the Holmes Center. The Southern Conference win clinched a tournament berth for the Eagles who improved to 18-7 overall and 9-1 in league play. The Mountaineers dropped to 15-8, 6-4.
“Today, I thought we had a good performance against a strong Appalachian State team, who is also a good blocking team,” said Head Coach Chad Callihan. “It took us a little while to figure it out, but we did a good job of keeping our composure and competing at a high level.”
Three Eagles posted double-figure kill performances in the win led by Jeschelnik's 16. Parker Small (Charlotte, N.C.) followed with 13 and Bethany Sanford (Avondale, Ariz.) added 12. Ashley Roe (Campbell, Calif.) posted 21 digs, while Sanford picked up a double-double with 18 digs. Kate Van Dyke (Shawnee, Kan.) fueled the Eagle attack with 48 assists and 14 digs.
“Nicole [Jeschelnik] played well,” noted Callihan. “This whole season we've had different players step up and today was her day. She made some nice plays to help the team.”
Georgia Southern took a 1-0 match lead with a 25-17 first set win. Small led the Eagles with five kills, helping hold the Mountaineers to a .059 hitting percentage. Georgia Southern jumped out with a 5-1 lead and led by seven at 19-12 following a Small kill. The Eagles closed out the opening frame with a Hannah Nelson (Norcross, Ga.) kill for a 25-17 win.
The Mountaineers avenged a first set loss, winning set two 29-27 to even the match at 1-1. Anna Wagner led ASU with six kills in the frame that witnessed 13 ties and five lead changes. Two Mountaineer attack errors gave Georgia Southern an 18-13 lead, but ASU climbed back, knotting the score 18-18 using a 5-0 run. The Mountaineers took a one point lead at 23-22 off a Wagner kill, but Enjoli Johnson (Lilburn, Ga.) evened the set at 23-all. Appalachian State fought off three Eagle set points that followed and took the lead at 27-26. Van Dyke erased ASU's first set point, but the Mountaineers picked up the next two points to take the set.
The Eagles came out strong in the third set, hitting .347 led by Nelson and Jeschelnik with six and five kills, respectively. Georgia Southern raced out to a 14-7 advantage, but the Mountaineers crawled back to within two points at 21-19. The Eagles closed the set on a 4-2 run to take a 2-1 match lead.
Jeschelnik and Sanford both posted four kills in the fourth and final set as Georgia Southern sealed the match with a 25-17 win. ASU kept the set close in the early stages, but a Jeschelnik kill sparked a 4-0 Eagle run handing Georgia Southern an 18-11 lead. Jeschelnik's third kill of the set forced the Mountaineers to call a timeout at 21-13. Georgia Southern closed the set on a Mountaineer attack error.
“We don't get many opportunities to play three road matches in a weekend and I thought this gave us a good opportunity to test ourselves in that format,” said Callihan. “We've talked about having to win on the road when we get into tournament play and this string of games was good preparation for us and it allowed us to focus on each individual match. Overall, I thought it went well.”
Georgia Southern returns home to play host to Furman on Thursday, Oct. 28 at 6 p.m. for its annual Dig Pink event. Fans are asked to wear pink to show their support for breast cancer awareness. Donations will be accepted during the match.
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.
“Today, I thought we had a good performance against a strong Appalachian State team, who is also a good blocking team,” said Head Coach Chad Callihan. “It took us a little while to figure it out, but we did a good job of keeping our composure and competing at a high level.”
Three Eagles posted double-figure kill performances in the win led by Jeschelnik's 16. Parker Small (Charlotte, N.C.) followed with 13 and Bethany Sanford (Avondale, Ariz.) added 12. Ashley Roe (Campbell, Calif.) posted 21 digs, while Sanford picked up a double-double with 18 digs. Kate Van Dyke (Shawnee, Kan.) fueled the Eagle attack with 48 assists and 14 digs.
“Nicole [Jeschelnik] played well,” noted Callihan. “This whole season we've had different players step up and today was her day. She made some nice plays to help the team.”
Georgia Southern took a 1-0 match lead with a 25-17 first set win. Small led the Eagles with five kills, helping hold the Mountaineers to a .059 hitting percentage. Georgia Southern jumped out with a 5-1 lead and led by seven at 19-12 following a Small kill. The Eagles closed out the opening frame with a Hannah Nelson (Norcross, Ga.) kill for a 25-17 win.
The Mountaineers avenged a first set loss, winning set two 29-27 to even the match at 1-1. Anna Wagner led ASU with six kills in the frame that witnessed 13 ties and five lead changes. Two Mountaineer attack errors gave Georgia Southern an 18-13 lead, but ASU climbed back, knotting the score 18-18 using a 5-0 run. The Mountaineers took a one point lead at 23-22 off a Wagner kill, but Enjoli Johnson (Lilburn, Ga.) evened the set at 23-all. Appalachian State fought off three Eagle set points that followed and took the lead at 27-26. Van Dyke erased ASU's first set point, but the Mountaineers picked up the next two points to take the set.
The Eagles came out strong in the third set, hitting .347 led by Nelson and Jeschelnik with six and five kills, respectively. Georgia Southern raced out to a 14-7 advantage, but the Mountaineers crawled back to within two points at 21-19. The Eagles closed the set on a 4-2 run to take a 2-1 match lead.
Jeschelnik and Sanford both posted four kills in the fourth and final set as Georgia Southern sealed the match with a 25-17 win. ASU kept the set close in the early stages, but a Jeschelnik kill sparked a 4-0 Eagle run handing Georgia Southern an 18-11 lead. Jeschelnik's third kill of the set forced the Mountaineers to call a timeout at 21-13. Georgia Southern closed the set on a Mountaineer attack error.
“We don't get many opportunities to play three road matches in a weekend and I thought this gave us a good opportunity to test ourselves in that format,” said Callihan. “We've talked about having to win on the road when we get into tournament play and this string of games was good preparation for us and it allowed us to focus on each individual match. Overall, I thought it went well.”
Georgia Southern returns home to play host to Furman on Thursday, Oct. 28 at 6 p.m. for its annual Dig Pink event. Fans are asked to wear pink to show their support for breast cancer awareness. Donations will be accepted during the match.
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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