Eagles Earn 3-2 SoCon Win Over Terriers
9/25/2010 3:26:00 AM | Volleyball
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Five Eagles posted double-digit kill performances propelling Georgia Southern over Southern Conference rival Wofford 3-2 (25-20, 24-26, 25-22, 21-25, 15-13) Friday night at Benjamin Johnson Arena to open the conference slate. Winning its sixth match straight, Georgia Southern improved to 9-6 overall and 1-0 in league play.
“It was great to get a win on the road against a capable opponent to open Southern Conference play. This evening was a great test for us playing a very good Wofford squad,” said Head Coach Chad Callihan. “I thought we did some things well, but we could just never distance ourselves. This is the best the conference has looked and I expect to see many matches like this as we navigate through the season.”
Junior Bethany Sanford (Avondale, Ariz.) continued her impressive play, earning her 10th double-double of the season amassing 18 kills and 14 digs. Sanford was followed in double-figures by Moriah Bellissimo (Blackstone, Va.) with 14, Enjoli Johnson (Lilburn, Ga.) with 13, Parker Small (Charlotte, N.C.) with 12 and Hannah Nelson (Norcross, Ga.) with 11. Bellissimo added 17 digs to mark her fourth double-double of the season, while junior Ashley Roe (Campbell, Calif.) anchored the defense with 26 digs. Sophomore Kate Van Dyke (Shawnee, Kan.) registered 63 assists servicing the offense.
Both teams opened strong in the first set unloading their highest hitting percentages of the match. Bellissimo, Johnson and Sanford each posted four kills in the set to only two errors combined, pacing the Eagles to a 25-20 set win. Georgia Southern took the lead at 15-14 after a bad set from Terrier Tara Gough, but Wofford (10-8, 0-1) knotted the score immediately with a kill from Arden Anderson. An Eagle kill from Sanford put the Eagles back in front as Georgia Southern pulled away with a four-point lead, 20-16, following a Johnson kill. The Eagles secured the opening frame on a Van Dyke kill.
Wofford raced out to a 4-0 lead in the second set, and despite the Eagles holding a late 20-17 lead, Wofford took the set, 26-24 to even the match. The second frame saw six lead changes and 12 ties. Bellissimo led the Eagle offense with five kills as Small led the defense with two blocks.
Sanford unleashed six kills in the third set leading Georgia Southern to a 25-22 victory. The Eagles climbed out to an early 5-1 lead jumpstarted by a pair of Sanford kills to open the frame. Wofford evened the score at 5-5 and tied the score five more times, but the Eagles rallied late, closing the set on a 7-4 run.
Johnson hit .714 in the fourth frame, but Wofford edged Georgia Southern, 25-21, to even the match at 2-all. The Eagles held a 3-point advantage early on, but following an 8-8 tie, the Terriers went on a 9-2 run to gain a seven-point lead at 17-10. Wofford closed the set on a Catelyn Amende kill to force a deciding fifth set.
Limiting the Terriers to a -.107 hitting percentage in the final set, Georgia Southern claimed the match with a 15-13 fifth set win. A Wofford attack error evened the set at 2-apiece as the Eagles posted six unanswered points to claim an 8-2 lead. Five Terrier attack errors fueled the run, but Wofford was able to inch back to within one point at 14-13. Wofford's eighth attack error of the set sealed the Georgia Southern win.
The Eagles return to the court tomorrow facing the 2009 South Division regular season champion Furman. Match time is slated for 7 p.m. on Sept. 25. Live stats and live streaming will be available on Furman's official athletics website. Please click here to access the page.
“It was great to get a win on the road against a capable opponent to open Southern Conference play. This evening was a great test for us playing a very good Wofford squad,” said Head Coach Chad Callihan. “I thought we did some things well, but we could just never distance ourselves. This is the best the conference has looked and I expect to see many matches like this as we navigate through the season.”
Junior Bethany Sanford (Avondale, Ariz.) continued her impressive play, earning her 10th double-double of the season amassing 18 kills and 14 digs. Sanford was followed in double-figures by Moriah Bellissimo (Blackstone, Va.) with 14, Enjoli Johnson (Lilburn, Ga.) with 13, Parker Small (Charlotte, N.C.) with 12 and Hannah Nelson (Norcross, Ga.) with 11. Bellissimo added 17 digs to mark her fourth double-double of the season, while junior Ashley Roe (Campbell, Calif.) anchored the defense with 26 digs. Sophomore Kate Van Dyke (Shawnee, Kan.) registered 63 assists servicing the offense.
Both teams opened strong in the first set unloading their highest hitting percentages of the match. Bellissimo, Johnson and Sanford each posted four kills in the set to only two errors combined, pacing the Eagles to a 25-20 set win. Georgia Southern took the lead at 15-14 after a bad set from Terrier Tara Gough, but Wofford (10-8, 0-1) knotted the score immediately with a kill from Arden Anderson. An Eagle kill from Sanford put the Eagles back in front as Georgia Southern pulled away with a four-point lead, 20-16, following a Johnson kill. The Eagles secured the opening frame on a Van Dyke kill.
Wofford raced out to a 4-0 lead in the second set, and despite the Eagles holding a late 20-17 lead, Wofford took the set, 26-24 to even the match. The second frame saw six lead changes and 12 ties. Bellissimo led the Eagle offense with five kills as Small led the defense with two blocks.
Sanford unleashed six kills in the third set leading Georgia Southern to a 25-22 victory. The Eagles climbed out to an early 5-1 lead jumpstarted by a pair of Sanford kills to open the frame. Wofford evened the score at 5-5 and tied the score five more times, but the Eagles rallied late, closing the set on a 7-4 run.
Johnson hit .714 in the fourth frame, but Wofford edged Georgia Southern, 25-21, to even the match at 2-all. The Eagles held a 3-point advantage early on, but following an 8-8 tie, the Terriers went on a 9-2 run to gain a seven-point lead at 17-10. Wofford closed the set on a Catelyn Amende kill to force a deciding fifth set.
Limiting the Terriers to a -.107 hitting percentage in the final set, Georgia Southern claimed the match with a 15-13 fifth set win. A Wofford attack error evened the set at 2-apiece as the Eagles posted six unanswered points to claim an 8-2 lead. Five Terrier attack errors fueled the run, but Wofford was able to inch back to within one point at 14-13. Wofford's eighth attack error of the set sealed the Georgia Southern win.
The Eagles return to the court tomorrow facing the 2009 South Division regular season champion Furman. Match time is slated for 7 p.m. on Sept. 25. Live stats and live streaming will be available on Furman's official athletics website. Please click here to access the page.
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