MOBILE, Ala. – Jamie DeRatt tallied 14 kills, nine digs and five blocks to lead Georgia Southern to a 3-1 (15-25, 25-18, 25-23, 25-23) Sun Belt Conference volleyball victory over South Alabama Saturday night in Jaguar Gym.

Cathrine Murray notched 13 kills and six digs for the Eagles (3-15, 3-6), and Megan Chevalier hit .458 with 12 kills to go along with three blocks. Kym Coley tallied seven kills and five blocks, and Kat Minnerly finished with 40 assists, 11 digs and two blocks.

Mechell Daniel led South Alabama (9-10, 4-5) with 14 kills and eight digs, and Jessica Lewis posted 11 kills and two blocks.

The Eagles hit .242 for the match and had 12 team blocks.

"I'm very proud of how we finished tonight as a group," said Georgia Southern coach Dustin Wood. "We showed a lot of maturity and character from our younger players and our veterans and we didn't get rattled after a bad first set."

Georgia Southern dropped the first set 25-15 but rallied from an early 5-1 deficit in the second frame. With the scored tied 8-8, Leah Joseph and Chevalier combined for two blocks to aid a 9-2 run as the Eagles opened a seven-point lead. The margin grew to as many as 23-13 on a solo block by DeRatt as the Eagles tied the match 1-1.

The final two sets came down to the wire, and Georgia Southern made the plays to win them. Tied 23-23 in the third, Murray recorded a kill, and Avery Stephens served a tough ball that led to a Jaguar hitting error. 

Georgia Southern trailed 23-21 in the fourth set but scored four straight points to win it. DeRatt began the run with a kill, and Coley and Chevalier followed with a block. Coley then put down consecutive sets from Minnerly to finish the match. 

The Eagles open a three-match homestand Friday, Oct. 17, in Hanner Fieldhouse against UL Monroe. First serve is set for 6 p.m.

"We're looking forward to being home next weekend and being back in Hanner," said Wood. "We need our fan base to come out and support us!"

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