Volleyball Outlasts Western Carolina 3-2, Extends Win Streak to Nine
11/4/2012 2:12:26 AM | Volleyball
VIDEO: Post-match interview with Coach Chad Callihan
STATESBORO, Ga. – Alexandra Beecher broke a school record with 40 digs, and Meredith Paskert tallied 19 kills to lead Georgia Southern to its ninth-straight volleyball victory, a 3-2 (23-25, 18-25, 25-20, 25-15, 15-8) comeback, Southern Conference win over Western Carolina Saturday night in Hanner Fieldhouse.
It was the third consecutive victory in a 5-set match for the Eagles (21-6, 12-1 SoCon), and Beecher's career-high 40 digs broke the school mark of 33, set by Stacy Lewis in 1995.
The Eagles rallied from a 2-0 deficit to force a fifth set. Clinging to a 5-4 lead, Crysten Curry sparked a 5-1 run as Georgia Southern pushed the margin to 10-5. An ace by Morgan Cochran brought the Catamounts to within four points at 12-8, but Paskert got a kill, Curry and Kate Van Dyke combined for a block and Catamount hitter Abbey Scroggins' last attack went out of bounds to end the match.
"Western really played well in the first two sets and put a tremendous amount of pressure on us," said Georgia Southern coach Chad Callihan. "It took us the intermission to get our emotions in check and turn it around. We have a group of fighters, who play best when their backs are against the wall. They buckled down and played better, and that was the difference."
Kym Coley finished with a career-high 15 kills to go along with five blocks, and Curry had a career-high 10 kills and a block. Kate Van Dyke finished with 58 assists and six digs, and Paskert added eight digs.
Caitlin Piechota led Western Carolina (8-21, 4-10 SoCon) with 14 kills and 14 digs, and Scroggins finished with nine kills. Cochran collected 29 digs, and Tina Nazario had 41 assists and 11 digs.
The Catamounts seemed to have the Eagles' number defensively in the first two sets and held GSU to a .053 hitting percentage while logging 45 digs and four team blocks en route to a 2-0 lead in the match.
The third set was tied 17-17, when Paskert logged two kills, and Moriah Bellissimo, Jamie DeRatt and Coley each had one as the Eagles closed the set on an 8-3 run. A 9-2 run early in the fourth set helped Georgia Southern distance itself and open a 14-7 lead. DeRatt and Coley each had two kills during the stretch. The Catamounts never got closer than five points the rest of the way as GSU evened the match 2-2.
Georgia Southern returns to action Monday when the Eagles host Davidson at 6 p.m. in Hanner Fieldhouse.
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