Volleyball Opens SoCon Slate with 3-1 Win over Wofford
9/22/2012 1:50:59 AM | Volleyball
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Meredith Paskert tallied 16 kills, and the Eagles hit .309 as a team to open the Southern Conference portion of their schedule with a 3-1 (25-20, 25-22, 23-25, 25-18) volleyball victory over Wofford Friday night in Benjamin Johnson Arena.
Paskert hit .333 and added three digs and a pair of service aces for the Eagles (10-5, 1-0 SoCon), while Moriah Bellissimo collected 13 kills, 15 digs and two blocks. Jamie DeRatt posted 11 kills and 17 digs, and Kate Van Dyke had 46 assists and 10 digs.
Rachel Woodlee led four Terriers in double-figure kills with 13, and Amanda Liguori posted 11 kills and 13 digs. Wendy Burnett and Taylor Baird each had 12 kills for Wofford (10-4, 0-1 SoCon).
Leading 2-1 in the match after Wofford took the third set, Georgia Southern used a 7-1 run to pull away in the fourth. Paskert keyed the run with a kill and an ace, and Enjoli Johnson added a kill as the Eagles turned an 8-7 lead into a seven-point cushion. The margin never dipped below four points for the rest of the set.
The Eagles had 20 kills with just one error to hit .679 in the first set, but Wofford hung with Georgia Southern until late in the game. With the score tied 19-19, Bellissimo recorded the last three points on kills in a 6-1 GSU run.
Trailing 17-14 in the second frame, Georgia Southern used a 4-1 run to tie the score at 18-18. Lauren LaRocque and Bellissimo had kills during the stretch. Then with the score tied 19-19, Georgia Southern went on a 5-1 run to take control. Van Dyke and Kym Coley combined for a block to start the spurt, and Paskert and DeRatt added kills.
The Terriers turned the tables in the third set, finishing the frame with a 6-1 run to win it 25-22. Trailing 22-19, Wofford benefitted from three consecutive Eagle misplays before Woodlee put down two kills and Burnett added another.
Georgia Southern takes on SoCon opponent Furman on the road tomorrow at 4 p.m.
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