MONROE, La. – Jamie DeRatt posted 14 kills and 15 digs, while Kym Coley added nine kills and eight blocks to lead Georgia Southern to a 3-1 (17-25, 25-16, 25-18, 25-21) Sun Belt Conference volleyball victory over UL Monroe at Fant-Ewing Coliseum Friday night.

It was Georgia Southern's first Sun Belt Conference victory after the Eagles joined the league this season. Kat Minnerly tallied 40 assists, 10 digs and a career-high seven blocks for the Eagles, while Cathrine Murray added nine kills, 10 digs and a block. Leah Joseph finished with eight kills and seven blocks.

Georgia Southern posted a season-high 15 blocks as a team and held UL Monroe to .053 hitting in the final two sets.

Holding a 2-1 lead in the match, Georgia Southern (1-12, 1-3) overcame an 18-13 deficit in the fourth set. The Eagles went on a 7-2 run to tie the score 20-20 as Coley notched two kills and was in on two blocks. The Eagles scored the final four points of the set to break a 21-21 tie. DeRatt posted two kills, and Joseph had a kill and combined with Megan Chevalier for a block.

"I'm really proud of the team tonight; it was a great group effort," said Georgia Southern coach Dustin Wood. "We executed our blocking scheme to near perfection and blocked really well tonight. We started slow, but we executed at a high level after the first set."

Hadley Swartz notched 17 kills and 12 digs to lead UL Monroe (6-11, 0-4), and Kimberlie Alvarado collected 11 kills and four blocks.

After hitting .088 in the first set and falling behind 1-0 in the match, the Eagles broke a 10-10 tie with an 8-0 run in the second frame behind three kills by DeRatt. 

Avery Stephens served for five straight points in the third set to help the Eagles open a 9-3 advantage. The margin grew to as many as eight points before the Warhawks made a late run to trim the advantage to 23-18. DeRatt notched a kill, and Minnerly finished the set with an ace to give the Eagles a 2-1 lead in the match.

Georgia Southern finishes its Louisiana swing at UL Lafayette Saturday night. The match is set for an 8 p.m. (Eastern) start.

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