STATESBORO, Ga. – Karissa Rhoades and Amanda Carroll each tallied 19 kills to lead Florida Gulf Coast to a 3-2 (25-20, 23-25, 23-25, 25-20, 15-7) non-conference volleyball victory over Georgia Southern Friday night in Hanner Fieldhouse. It was the first meeting between the two schools.

Lauren Reichard posted a career-high 13 kills to go with four blocks for Georgia Southern (5-9), and Megan Chevalier collected 13 kills, eight digs and three blocks. Crysten Curry posted nine kills and four blocks, and Katie Bange dished out 45 assists with three blocks and eight digs. Alex Beecher finished with a match-high 27 digs.

Rhoades added 13 digs for FGCU (8-6), and Carroll collected 11 digs and three blocks. Eleonora Kazarian had 18 kills, 13 digs and four blocks, while Marlene Moeller recorded 10 kills. Maggie Rick notched 67 assists, and Vanessa Benke tallied 26 digs. 
 

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The storyline
Florida Gulf Coast overcame a 2-1 deficit in the match after dropping the second and third sets by identical 25-23 counts. FGCU hit .220 in the fourth while holding Georgia Southern to .071 and breezed to a 15-7 lead in the fourth. Georgia Southern trimmed the margin to 22-19 before Moeller put down a ball. A GS attack error made it set point, and Carroll tied the match with a kill. FGCU used the momentum to run out to a 6-1 cushion in the fifth set, and the margin never dipped below four points the rest of the way. Florida Gulf Coast registered six kills with no errors on 11 swings and added a pair of service aces in the fifth, while Georgia Southern hit -.062.
 

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Quotable from Coach Dustin Wood
Overall:
"We were hitting well after set three and hit a rut in set four. There were some bright spots, but we just weren't consistent enough." 

On the fifth set:
"We had too many errors in pressure situations. We weren't aggressive, and if we're not aggressive, we're not going to win."

On Saturday's match:
"We have to put it behind us. Tomorrow is a more important match because it is in conference. We'll take the good things from this match and build on them and learn from today."
 

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Next Up
Georgia Southern caps an eight-match homestand with a Sun Belt showdown against South Alabama in Hanner Fieldhouse Saturday. First serve is set for 6:30 p.m.

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