Volleyball Wins Eighth in a Row, Tops The Citadel 3-0
10/28/2012 12:44:02 AM | Volleyball
VIDEO: Highlights from 3-0 match win over The Citadel
CHARLESTON, S.C. – Meredith Paskert had 16 kills, and Nicole Jeschelnik (right) added 12 kills and seven digs to lead Georgia Southern to a 3-0 (25-13, 26-24, 25-16) Southern Conference volleyball victory over The Citadel Saturday night at McAlister Fieldhouse.
It was Georgia Southern's eight straight victory and their 20th win of the season. The Eagles have now won 20-plus matches for the 10th time in school history and the third time in head coach Chad Callihan's five-year tenure.
Moriah Bellissimo added seven kills and 16 digs for the Eagles (20-6, 11-1 SoCon), and Alexandra Beecher collected a match high 21 digs. Kate Van Dyke was credited with 29 assists, eight digs and six kills.
Jessica Maxwell led the Bulldogs (5-23, 0-11 SoCon) with nine kills, and Mikaela Tracy posted 14 assists.
Defense keyed the win for the Eagles, who struggled a bit with offensive efficiency. GSU held the Bulldogs to a .094 hitting percentage and had 67 digs and six team blocks in the three-set match. The Bulldogs were solid defensively as well, posting 10 team blocks and 39 digs.
"It's good to get a win on the road against a competitive Citadel squad, which was very good defensively and capitalized on our errors," said Callihan. "We did not play our best but made plays when we had to. Meredith (Paskert) really provided some good offense for us."
Paskert had three kills and assisted on a block as the Eagles jumped out to a 15-5 lead in the first set en route to winning it 25-13.
The Bulldogs overcame an early six-point deficit in the second set and pulled to within two at 18-16 on a kill by Ise d'Angelo. The Eagles answered with a 6-3 run and had set point at 24-19 after a Paskert kill. The Citadel scored five straight points to tie the set 24-24, but Van Dyke got a kill and Paskert added another to give the Eagles a 2-0 lead in the match.
With the score tied 13-13 in the third, GSU went on a huge 12-3 run to win the set and end the match. Bellissimo and Jeschelnik served aces during the run, while Van Dyke and Paskert each collected two kills.
The Eagles play their final four regular season matches at home, beginning with a 7 p.m. meeting against Western Carolina Saturday, Nov. 3.
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