Eagles Finish Bash in the Boro Undefeated
9/18/2011 1:28:00 AM | Volleyball
STATESBORO, Ga. - Bethany Sanford (Avondale, Ariz.) posted 13 kills not once but twice on Saturday to help the Georgia Southern Volleyball team (6-8) finish the Bash in the Boro presented by SpringHill Suites undefeated. The Eagles defeated S.C. State (5-9) 3-1 in the matinee and Georgia State (5-11) 3-1 in the tournament finale on Saturday. Sanford was honored after the game along with Kate Van Dyke (Shawnee, Kan.) as members of the Bash in the Boro All-Tournament Team.
"I thought our defensive intensity really improved from what we saw in weeks two and three," said Head Coach Chad Callihan. "So that was a pleasure to see. Lauren LaRocque was a big part of that. She did a nice job, had a career high in digs and kept a number of plays alive for us."
Match One vs South Carolina State
Georgia Southern put together a solid offensive attack in the 3-1 win over South Carolina State in the day's first match. The Eagles hit .286 in the match and had sets of .333 and .310 hitting percentages. Meredith Paskert (Brecksville, Va.) and Sanford led the team with 12 and 13 kills respectively. Van Dyke powered the offense with 27 sets while also posting 14 digs on the defensive end.
The Eagle's defense held the Bulldogs to a .127 hitting percentage and posted 68 digs in the four-set match. Lauren LaRocque (Frisco, Texas) joined Van Dyke in double figures with 10 digs, while freshman Jamie DeRatt (Wilson, N.C.) posted nine digs in her first start of the Bash in the Boro. Desire Waller led S.C. State with 14 kills while Shabree Roberson tallied 12 kills.
Georgia Southern ran away with the first set 25-13 but it was a close contest in the early going. The two teams battled through three ties and three lead changes before the Eagles scored six-straight points to jump ahead 16-7. GSU won the second set 25-18 to pull ahead 2-0 at the halftime break.
South Carolina State staved off a Georgia Southern rally in the third set to pick up a set point. The Eagles rattled off three points while the Bulldogs were seeking their set point. GSU carried the momentum over to the fourth set and ran away with it 25-13.
Match Two vs Georgia State
Georgia Southern rebounded from an opening set loss to defeat Georgia State 22-25, 25-21, 25-21, 25-16. Sanford posted 13 and three service aces to power the Eagle offense along with Parker Small's (Charlotte, N.C.) 12 kills. Van Dyke tallied 36 assists to help Georgia Southern to a .200 hitting percentage.
Georgia State jumped ahead 13-5 in the first set and maintained a 21-9 advantage. Georgia Southern rallied to cut the lead to 24-20 late in the set, but the Panthers salvaged the point winning the set 25-22. The Eagles had to overcome a .057 hitting percentage to mount the rally effort and received five kills from Sanford in the process.
LaRocque posted a career-high 24 digs to help the Eagle defense hold the Panthers to a .101 hitting percentage. Van Dyke added 18 digs and Moriah Bellissimo (Blackstone, Va.) tallied 16 digs in a 84 dig effort on defense.
Georgia Southern held Georgia State to a .029 hitting percentage in the fourth set while the Eagles offense posted their best mark of the match with a .297. LaRocque recorded seven digs in the fourth set while Van Dyke posted five kills. Sanford, Small and Paskert all recorded three kills in the set.
Georgia Southern bounced back in the second set winning 25-21 despite three ties and two lead changes. The Eagles hit a much improved .235 and got three kills from Paskert. Georgia Southern took the third set by the same score after receiving a five-kill effort from Small. The Eagles hit .278 in the third set and recorded a 66% sideout percentage.
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Bash in the Boro All-Tournament Team
#15 Bria Brimmer - South Carolina State
#2 Rachel Hall - Presbyterian
#8 Kaylee Mcgrew - Georgia State
#12 Katie Post - Ohio
#2 Chelsea Bilger - Ohio
#5 Bethany Sanford - Georgia Southern
#7 Kate Van Dyke - Georgia Southern
