Volleyball Downs Georgia State 3-1 for First Win of 2012
8/25/2012 5:20:55 PM | Volleyball
ATHENS, Ga. – Meredith Paskert led three Georgia Southern players in double-figure kills with a match-high 15 to lead the Eagles to a 3-1 (26-24, 25-12, 23-25, 25-9) volleyball victory over Georgia State Saturday morning at the Benson Hospitality Bulldog Invitational in the Ramsey Center.
Paskert hit .407 in the match and added three digs and a block assist for Georgia Southern (1-1). Jamie DeRatt notched 11 kills, 11 digs and a pair of block assists, while Moriah Bellissimo tallied 10 kills, 14 digs and six block assists. Kate Van Dyke finished with a match-high 45 assists to go along with nine digs and seven kills.
"This first weekend is a great way to identify our strengths and weaknesses," said Eagle coach Chad Callihan. "We saw both of those in this match and will work to correct the mistakes. For our second match of the season, I am highly encouraged by the effort and chemistry of this group."
Sydney Hunsley led the Panthers (1-1) with nine kills, and Emily Averbeck finished with 24 digs. Georgia Southern held Georgia State to a .077 hitting percentage in the match and tallied 12 team blocks.
The Eagles edged out the Panthers 26-24 in the first set by overcoming a late three-point deficit. Trailing 23-20, Georgia Southern scored three straight points on two Panther attack errors and a Bellissimo ace to tie the score. Then with the score tied 24-24, Paskert put down consecutive kills to end the set.
The Eagles ran away with the second set after jumping out to an 8-4 lead with the help of a pair of kills by Van Dyke. With the Eagles leading 17-12, DeRatt and Enjoli Johnson's block ignited an 8-0 Georgia Southern run to finish the set. DeRatt served out the set and helped get the run started with consecutive aces. The Eagles hit .458 in the frame, putting down 13 kills on just 24 attack attempts.
Georgia Southern battled back from a five-point deficit in the third set and trimmed the margin to 23-22 on a Paskert kill, but the Eagles committed consecutive errors, giving the Panthers the 25-23 win.
Leading the fourth set 6-5, a Paskert kill sparked a 13-2 run for the Eagles. Bellissimo recorded three kills and assisted on four blocks in the spurt as the Eagles took a commanding 19-7 lead. Georgia Southern finished the set and the match with a 6-2 run and held the Panthers to -.033 hitting in the frame.
Georgia Southern will face Slovenia in an exhibition match today at 4 p.m. in the Ramsey Center before finishing off the weekend by taking on Troy at 10 a.m. Sunday.
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