First-Place Volleyball Eagles Open Four-Game Homestand Saturday
11/2/2012 3:53:52 PM | Volleyball
Live video // Live Stats vs. WCU // Live Stats vs. Davidson
VIDEO: Preview interview with Coach Chad Callihan
STATESBORO, Ga. – The Georgia Southern volleyball team, currently in first place in the Southern Conference South Division and riding an eight-match win streak, caps the regular season with a four-game homestand, beginning Saturday with a 7 p.m. contest against Western Carolina.
Fans can get into the match against the Catamounts for $1 if they present their football ticket from the GSU-Appalachian State game, which kicks off at 2 p.m. at Paulson Stadium.
Georgia Southern (20-6, 11-1 SoCon) topped College of Charleston 3-1 last Friday and downed The Citadel 3-0 Saturday to move into first place. The Eagles were a perfect 8-0 in the month of October, and their last loss came at home against College of Charleston Sept. 29.
Georgia Southern has now recorded a 20-win season for the 10th time in school history and the third time in the five-year tenure of head coach Chad Callihan. The Eagles have posted a .500 or better SoCon record in all five of Callihan's seasons.
Meredith Paskert leads the Eagles in kills with 336 and is averaging 3.39 per set. The senior has tallied double-digit kills in every match during the win streak and is hitting .345 with 4.03 kills per set during the stretch. Classmate Moriah Bellissimo is averaging 2.82 kills and 3.04 digs a set for the season.
Reigning SoCon Defensive Player of the Week Alexandra Beecher leads the team in digs with 459 and is averaging 4.64 a set, and the Eagles rank 30th in the country in digs as a team (17.36/set). Setter Kate Van Dyke ranks 26th in the nation in assists with 11.23 a set.
The Eagles are 23-17 in the all-time series against Western Carolina (8-20, 4-9 SoCon) and have won the last eight contests against the Catamounts. Caitlin Piechota leads Western Carolina in kills with 285, and Morgan Cochran ranks second in the league in digs, averaging 5.41 per set. The Catamounts have lost their last four matches, including a 3-0 decision at Appalachian State Thursday.
Georgia Southern also hosts Davidson at 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 5. The Eagles have won all nine meetings against Davidson (9-13, 5-7 SoCon) during Callihan's tenure, including a 3-0 decision back in September. GSU owns a 25-15 advantage in the all-time series against the Wildcats. Davidson will take on Appalachian State Saturday at home before traveling to Statesboro.
Caroline Brown leads the Wildcats in kills with 3.60 a set, and Tindall Sewell averages 2.62 and is hitting .320. Molly Crenshaw leads the squad in digs with 5.21 a game.
Following the match against Davidson, Georgia Southern caps the regular season by hosting Furman Nov. 9 and Wofford Nov. 10.
Fans can download "Eagles GATA" to their android devices or iPhones and continue to follow their Eagles at GSEagles.com, facebook.com/GSAthletics and twitter.com/GSAthletics.
