Eagle Volleyball Falls 3-2 at New Mexico
9/8/2012 4:57:50 AM | Volleyball
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – New Mexico got 20 kills from Chantale Riddle and staved off five set points in the third frame to take a 3-2 (23-25, 25-15, 32-30, 22-25, 15-7) volleyball victory over Georgia Southern in the Lobo Invitational Friday night.
It was the first five-set match of the season for Georgia Southern (5-3), which saw its three match win streak come to an end.
Meredith Paskert led the Eagles with 16 kills, while Moriah Bellissimo logged 14 kills and 18 digs. Nicole Jeschelnik had 13 kills and 14 digs, while Kate Van Dyke tallied 40 assists and 10 digs. Alexandra Beecher finished with 17 digs.
The Eagles made Riddle work for her points as she took 60 swings in the match for New Mexico (8-1), and Alijah Gunsaulus booked 13 kills and 16 digs. Lena Skipper and Elsa Krieg each had nine kills, and Lexi Ross finished with eight kills and five blocks. Hannah Johnson contributed 23 assists, and Jordan Russell had 30 assists and 12 digs.
The Lobos jumped out to a 4-0 advantage in the deciding set as Riddle and Ross logged kills and then combined for a block. Georgia Southern trimmed the margin to 7-6 on a Jeschelnik kill, but New Mexico ran off five consecutive points, with three on kills from Gunsaulus, to pull away.
Georgia Southern had five set points in the third frame, but New Mexico had an answer each time. A Kym Coley block provided the last set point for Georgia Southern at 30-29, but Ross got a kill for the Lobos and Riddle and Ross combined for a block. Riddle's kill gave the Lobos a 32-30 set win and a 2-1 cushion in the match. Georgia Southern had trailed 24-22 in the frame, but a kill by Bellissimo and a block from Bellissimo and Enjoli Johnson evened the score.
Leading 18-17 in the fourth set, Georgia Southern pushed the margin to 21-17 with the aid of a kill by Johnson and a block from Paskert. Paskert added two kills to make the score 24-21, and after a GSU service error, Bellissimo's kill evened the match at 2-2.
The Eagles overcame a late four-point deficit to take the first set. Trailing 20-16, Georgia Southern used a 6-2 run, with four points coming off Bellissimo kills, to tie the score at 22-22. After Riddle put the Lobos back on top with a kill, Jeschelnik put a ball down for the Eagles, and Paskert finished off the set with a solo block followed by a kill.
The Lobos flexed their muscle in set two and used an 8-1 spurt, with two kills from Riddle, to break a 10-10 tie and stretch out a seven-point lead. The Eagles never got closer than five points for the rest of the set.
The Eagles are back in action tomorrow as they continue play in the Lobo Invitational by facing UC Santa Barbara and Portland.
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