Eagle Volleyball Travels to North Florida for Midweek Match
11/1/2010 6:35:00 PM | Volleyball
STATESBORO, Ga. – After picking up two big wins in SoCon play this weekend, the Georgia Southern Volleyball team will put its eight-match winning streak on the line in non-conference action, traveling to Jacksonville, Fla., to face North Florida on Tuesday evening at UNF Arena. First serve is set for 7 p.m.
“I think the North Florida match gives our group another opportunity to compete on the road,” noted Eagle Head Coach Chad Callihan. “We have played very well at home this season and have found ways to win on the road even though our execution hasn't always been great. We will need that execution to improve if we want to reach our goal of winning a SoCon championship.”
The Eagles, owners of a 9-6 record outside of the Southern Conference, have won 17 of their last 18 matches, including five non-conference matches dating back to mid-September.
Pacing GSU on offense are junior middle hitter Parker Small (Charlotte, N.C.) and junior outside hitter Bethany Sanford (Avondale, Ariz.), whose 2.97 and 3.44 kills per set, respectively, both rank in the top 10 in the Southern Conference. Small leads GSU at the net defensively as well with a team-leading 93 total blocks, including nine block solos. Sophomore setter Kate Van Dyke (Shawnee, Kan.) leads the Eagles and the league with 10.61 assists per frame.
In Thursday night's 3-2 win over Furman, Small (15) and Sanford (21) combined for 36 kills, with Sanford adding 17 digs en route to her 16th double-double of the season. Junior right side Hannah Nelson (Norcross, Ga.) also came up big for the Eagles vs. Furman, tallying 14 kills and two block assists.
“We have leaned heavily on Parker and Bethany throughout this season and I hope this match gives them the chance to fine tune their attacking,” Callihan added. “Hopefully we will see the emergence of one or two more attackers to help relieve the offensive load these two have carried for us. Hannah Nelson had a very good match against Furman and I believe she is a player who can have a real impact down the stretch for us.”
With a 5-18 record on the season, the North Florida Ospreys are led by sophomore outside hitter Paige Pridgeon, whose team-leading 3.84 kills per set rank second in the Atlantic Sun Conference this year. Osprey libero Nicole Baran is averaging 4.16 digs per set, good enough for fifth in the A-Sun.
The Eagles and Ospreys last faced each other in August of 2007 in Statesboro; a match GSU swept 3-0.
Fans can follow the action via live stats by clicking here. 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 think the North Florida match gives our group another opportunity to compete on the road,” noted Eagle Head Coach Chad Callihan. “We have played very well at home this season and have found ways to win on the road even though our execution hasn't always been great. We will need that execution to improve if we want to reach our goal of winning a SoCon championship.”
The Eagles, owners of a 9-6 record outside of the Southern Conference, have won 17 of their last 18 matches, including five non-conference matches dating back to mid-September.
Pacing GSU on offense are junior middle hitter Parker Small (Charlotte, N.C.) and junior outside hitter Bethany Sanford (Avondale, Ariz.), whose 2.97 and 3.44 kills per set, respectively, both rank in the top 10 in the Southern Conference. Small leads GSU at the net defensively as well with a team-leading 93 total blocks, including nine block solos. Sophomore setter Kate Van Dyke (Shawnee, Kan.) leads the Eagles and the league with 10.61 assists per frame.
In Thursday night's 3-2 win over Furman, Small (15) and Sanford (21) combined for 36 kills, with Sanford adding 17 digs en route to her 16th double-double of the season. Junior right side Hannah Nelson (Norcross, Ga.) also came up big for the Eagles vs. Furman, tallying 14 kills and two block assists.
“We have leaned heavily on Parker and Bethany throughout this season and I hope this match gives them the chance to fine tune their attacking,” Callihan added. “Hopefully we will see the emergence of one or two more attackers to help relieve the offensive load these two have carried for us. Hannah Nelson had a very good match against Furman and I believe she is a player who can have a real impact down the stretch for us.”
With a 5-18 record on the season, the North Florida Ospreys are led by sophomore outside hitter Paige Pridgeon, whose team-leading 3.84 kills per set rank second in the Atlantic Sun Conference this year. Osprey libero Nicole Baran is averaging 4.16 digs per set, good enough for fifth in the A-Sun.
The Eagles and Ospreys last faced each other in August of 2007 in Statesboro; a match GSU swept 3-0.
Fans can follow the action via live stats by clicking here. 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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