FSU Ends 2010 Eagle Volleyball Season 3-1 in NCAA Tournament
12/4/2010 1:32:00 AM | Volleyball
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Georgia Southern volleyball team made history – picking up the program's first set win in NCAA postseason history – but the Eagles couldn't overcome Florida State's offensive attack, falling 3-1 (25-20, 23-25, 25-22, 25-13) in Round One of the NCAA Tournament Friday evening at the O'Connell Center.
“I'm proud of our Georgia Southern Eagles,” said Eagle volleyball head coach Chad Callihan. “I thought they came out and played a hard-fought match. We have to give credit to Florida State for their effort this evening. They got better as the match went on.”
Junior outside hitter Bethany Sanford (Avondale, Ariz.) recorded her 18th double-double of the season, finishing with 15 kills and 14 digs, while junior right side hitter Hannah Nelson (Norcross, Ga.) also reached double figures in kills with 13, adding a block solo and two block assists.
“Bethany's been huge for us all season,” added Callihan. “She's been huge for us for three seasons. She turned in a heck of a performance this evening and did some things we don't normally ask her to do and did a good job with it.”
Junior libero Ashley Roe (Campbell, Calif.) posted 21 digs, and sophomore middle hitter Moriah Bellissimo (Blackstone, Va.) joined Roe and Sanford in double-digit digs with 10.
Sophomore setter Kate Van Dyke (Shawnee, Kan.) dished out 42 assists, adding six kills on 11 attempts (.545) and six digs of her own.
All 15 members of the 2010 GSU roster saw action in the match, including seniors Sarah Gildersleeve, Lindsey O'Connor and Leah Kettelson, who played in the final match of their careers at Georgia Southern.
Set One: Florida State 25, Georgia Southern 20
FSU (used a 4-0 run to break open a 10-10 tie and cruised from there, never allowing the Eagles (27-9, 14-2 SoCon) to pull closer than two points (15-12).
The Seminoles led by as many as five (20-15), but Georgia Southern rallied, scoring two-straight out of a GSU timeout to cut the lead to three (20-17), but Florida State scored five of the next eight points to clinch the set 25-20.
Sanford hit .800 in the frame, knocking down four kills in five error-free attempts. Nelson led GSU with five kills and a block solo, while Bellissimo's four digs paced the Eagles. Van Dyke assisted on 11 of Georgia Southern's 14 kills, adding two kills of her own.
Set Two: Georgia Southern 25, Florida State 23
Enjoli Johnson (Lilburn, Ga.) was a part of two of the Eagles' three team blocks in the second game, helping hold the Seminoles to .154 at the net. Roe added seven digs, and with the help of 12 assists from Van Dyke, Nelson and Sanford each added four kills.
Down 17-12, Georgia Southern put together a 6-1 streak to knot the frame at 18-all. The squads traded points back and forth before GSU posted three in a row to pull ahead 23-20 and run to the eventual 25-23 win.
Set Three: Florida State 25, Georgia Southern 22
Neither team led by more than a point in set number three, until FSU scored three-straight to turn a 21-21 tie into a 24-21 Seminole advantage and a 25-22 win.
“We knew we had a chance [in the third set],” Callihan noted. “We were 'siding out' very well, but we weren't doing a great job on the defensive end. We weren't digging enough balls to be able to transition, and we're not the biggest blocking team, so we need to be strong in our transitions to be able to be productive. We kept hoping that it would come around, but it never really did.”
Sanford paced GSU with eight digs, while Nelson added four kills and Van Dyke 14 assists. The Seminoles hit .310 in the set with 17 kills and just four attack errors.
Set Four: Florida State 25, Georgia Southern 13
Georgia Southern couldn't stop the FSU attack in the fourth set, falling 25-13 to give FSU the match victory. The Seminoles jumped out to an 11-3 lead and were unstoppable. Florida State again posted 17 kills with only four errors, while the Eagles tallied just eight kills.
Roe recorded six digs, while Johnson and Nicole Jeschelnik (Ladera Ranch, Calif.) combined for a block, but the Eagles couldn't find a rhythm on offense with just three players in the positive for hitting percentage.
“It's been a wonderful season for us,” said Callihan. “This is a team that has done a lot of positive things at Georgia Southern University. We're only the third volleyball team in school history to ever go to the NCAA Tournament, so to fight like we did against the types of teams who make annual trips here is a big deal for us. We feel like we have a young nucleus to build on. There are a lot of positive things going on at Georgia Southern.”
“I'm proud of our Georgia Southern Eagles,” said Eagle volleyball head coach Chad Callihan. “I thought they came out and played a hard-fought match. We have to give credit to Florida State for their effort this evening. They got better as the match went on.”
Junior outside hitter Bethany Sanford (Avondale, Ariz.) recorded her 18th double-double of the season, finishing with 15 kills and 14 digs, while junior right side hitter Hannah Nelson (Norcross, Ga.) also reached double figures in kills with 13, adding a block solo and two block assists.
“Bethany's been huge for us all season,” added Callihan. “She's been huge for us for three seasons. She turned in a heck of a performance this evening and did some things we don't normally ask her to do and did a good job with it.”
Junior libero Ashley Roe (Campbell, Calif.) posted 21 digs, and sophomore middle hitter Moriah Bellissimo (Blackstone, Va.) joined Roe and Sanford in double-digit digs with 10.
Sophomore setter Kate Van Dyke (Shawnee, Kan.) dished out 42 assists, adding six kills on 11 attempts (.545) and six digs of her own.
All 15 members of the 2010 GSU roster saw action in the match, including seniors Sarah Gildersleeve, Lindsey O'Connor and Leah Kettelson, who played in the final match of their careers at Georgia Southern.
Set One: Florida State 25, Georgia Southern 20
FSU (used a 4-0 run to break open a 10-10 tie and cruised from there, never allowing the Eagles (27-9, 14-2 SoCon) to pull closer than two points (15-12).
The Seminoles led by as many as five (20-15), but Georgia Southern rallied, scoring two-straight out of a GSU timeout to cut the lead to three (20-17), but Florida State scored five of the next eight points to clinch the set 25-20.
Sanford hit .800 in the frame, knocking down four kills in five error-free attempts. Nelson led GSU with five kills and a block solo, while Bellissimo's four digs paced the Eagles. Van Dyke assisted on 11 of Georgia Southern's 14 kills, adding two kills of her own.
Set Two: Georgia Southern 25, Florida State 23
Enjoli Johnson (Lilburn, Ga.) was a part of two of the Eagles' three team blocks in the second game, helping hold the Seminoles to .154 at the net. Roe added seven digs, and with the help of 12 assists from Van Dyke, Nelson and Sanford each added four kills.
Down 17-12, Georgia Southern put together a 6-1 streak to knot the frame at 18-all. The squads traded points back and forth before GSU posted three in a row to pull ahead 23-20 and run to the eventual 25-23 win.
Set Three: Florida State 25, Georgia Southern 22
Neither team led by more than a point in set number three, until FSU scored three-straight to turn a 21-21 tie into a 24-21 Seminole advantage and a 25-22 win.
“We knew we had a chance [in the third set],” Callihan noted. “We were 'siding out' very well, but we weren't doing a great job on the defensive end. We weren't digging enough balls to be able to transition, and we're not the biggest blocking team, so we need to be strong in our transitions to be able to be productive. We kept hoping that it would come around, but it never really did.”
Sanford paced GSU with eight digs, while Nelson added four kills and Van Dyke 14 assists. The Seminoles hit .310 in the set with 17 kills and just four attack errors.
Set Four: Florida State 25, Georgia Southern 13
Georgia Southern couldn't stop the FSU attack in the fourth set, falling 25-13 to give FSU the match victory. The Seminoles jumped out to an 11-3 lead and were unstoppable. Florida State again posted 17 kills with only four errors, while the Eagles tallied just eight kills.
Roe recorded six digs, while Johnson and Nicole Jeschelnik (Ladera Ranch, Calif.) combined for a block, but the Eagles couldn't find a rhythm on offense with just three players in the positive for hitting percentage.
“It's been a wonderful season for us,” said Callihan. “This is a team that has done a lot of positive things at Georgia Southern University. We're only the third volleyball team in school history to ever go to the NCAA Tournament, so to fight like we did against the types of teams who make annual trips here is a big deal for us. We feel like we have a young nucleus to build on. There are a lot of positive things going on at Georgia Southern.”
-GS-
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