Cougars Survive Five-Set Battle Over Eagles in Charleston
10/9/2010 2:50:00 AM | Volleyball
CHARLESTON, S.C. – Despite winning the fourth set to even the match at 2-2, the Georgia Southern Volleyball team could not pull out a win over College of Charleston Friday night (October 8) as the Cougars defeated the Eagles 3-2 (24-26, 25-20, 25-21, 18-25, 19-17) in the Carolina First Arena. Four Eagles posted double-digit kill performances, but CofC rallied for a 19-17 fifth set win to snap the Eagles' win streak.
Georgia Southern slipped to 12-7 overall and 3-1 in Southern Conference action, while CofC improved to 15-5 overall and 4-1 in league play.
Parker Small (Charlotte, N.C.) led the attack for the Eagles with 15 kills. Hannah Nelson (Norcross, Ga.) posted 13 kills, Bethany Sanford (Avondale, Ariz.) added 12 and Moriah Bellissimo (Blackstone, Va.) rounded out the double-digits with 10. Kate Van Dyke (Shawnee, Kan.) recorded 57 assists and Ashley Roe (Campbell, Calif.) led in the backcourt with 18 digs.
Led by Van Dyke's four kills in the opening frame, Georgia Southern outplayed College of Charleston to pull out a 26-24 first set win. The Eagles forced 10 Cougar attack errors limiting the home squad to a .109 hitting percentage to take the early match lead.
The lead was short-lived as CofC responded with a 25-20 second set win to even the match at 1-all. Bellissimo and Small both posted four kills, but four Cougar blocks combined with a .297 attack percentage sealed a second set win.
College of Charleston took its first match lead with a 25-21 third set victory. Sarah Havel's five kills led the Cougar squad that controlled the frame from the beginning until the Eagles knotted the set at 19-19. CofC regained the lead and closed out the set on an Elyse Chubb kill.
Georgia Southern grabbed 11 of the first 14 points in the fourth set and continued to control the frame for a 25-18 victory. The Cougars climbed back to within four points at 18-14, but a Sanford kill was followed by three consecutive Nelson kills for a 22-14 Eagle advantage. Nelson's sixth kill of the set gave set point to Georgia Southern and a Chubb attack error moved the overall match score to 2-2, forcing a deciding fifth set.
The final set witnessed 14 tied scores and five lead changes after the Eagles jumped out with a 3-0 lead. The Cougars responded with five answered points to take the lead. The teams continued to toss the lead back-and-forth through a 17-17 tie. Madelyn McGinnis gave CofC its fifth match point with a kill for an 18-17 score and an Eagle attack error sealed the Cougar win thereafter.
Georgia Southern continues play in Charleston, S.C., facing The Citadel on Saturday, Oct. 9. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. Fans can follow the match via live stats and live stream, both available at www.GeorgiaSouthernEagles.com.
Score updates will be available at twitter.com/GSScores and fans can get updated information on facebook.com/GSAthletics. A full release following Saturday's match will be available on www.GeorgiaSouthernEagles.com.
Georgia Southern slipped to 12-7 overall and 3-1 in Southern Conference action, while CofC improved to 15-5 overall and 4-1 in league play.
Parker Small (Charlotte, N.C.) led the attack for the Eagles with 15 kills. Hannah Nelson (Norcross, Ga.) posted 13 kills, Bethany Sanford (Avondale, Ariz.) added 12 and Moriah Bellissimo (Blackstone, Va.) rounded out the double-digits with 10. Kate Van Dyke (Shawnee, Kan.) recorded 57 assists and Ashley Roe (Campbell, Calif.) led in the backcourt with 18 digs.
Led by Van Dyke's four kills in the opening frame, Georgia Southern outplayed College of Charleston to pull out a 26-24 first set win. The Eagles forced 10 Cougar attack errors limiting the home squad to a .109 hitting percentage to take the early match lead.
The lead was short-lived as CofC responded with a 25-20 second set win to even the match at 1-all. Bellissimo and Small both posted four kills, but four Cougar blocks combined with a .297 attack percentage sealed a second set win.
College of Charleston took its first match lead with a 25-21 third set victory. Sarah Havel's five kills led the Cougar squad that controlled the frame from the beginning until the Eagles knotted the set at 19-19. CofC regained the lead and closed out the set on an Elyse Chubb kill.
Georgia Southern grabbed 11 of the first 14 points in the fourth set and continued to control the frame for a 25-18 victory. The Cougars climbed back to within four points at 18-14, but a Sanford kill was followed by three consecutive Nelson kills for a 22-14 Eagle advantage. Nelson's sixth kill of the set gave set point to Georgia Southern and a Chubb attack error moved the overall match score to 2-2, forcing a deciding fifth set.
The final set witnessed 14 tied scores and five lead changes after the Eagles jumped out with a 3-0 lead. The Cougars responded with five answered points to take the lead. The teams continued to toss the lead back-and-forth through a 17-17 tie. Madelyn McGinnis gave CofC its fifth match point with a kill for an 18-17 score and an Eagle attack error sealed the Cougar win thereafter.
Georgia Southern continues play in Charleston, S.C., facing The Citadel on Saturday, Oct. 9. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. Fans can follow the match via live stats and live stream, both available at www.GeorgiaSouthernEagles.com.
Score updates will be available at twitter.com/GSScores and fans can get updated information on facebook.com/GSAthletics. A full release following Saturday's match will be available on www.GeorgiaSouthernEagles.com.
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