STATESBORO, Ga. – Katie Bange recorded 21 kills, 17 assists, nine digs and five blocks to lead Georgia Southern to a 3-2 (22-25, 25-22, 25-22, 23-25, 15-9) volleyball victory over The Citadel in the championship match of the Bash in the Boro in Hanner Fieldhouse Friday night.
The Eagles (4-3) topped Savannah State 3-1 (25-9, 25-20, 23-25, 25-14) earlier in the day to go 4-0 and win the tournament. Bange was named the tournament MVP, while
Cathrine Murray and
Alex Beecher joined the senior on the all-tournament team.
Murray finished with 16 kills, seven digs and two blocks against The Citadel, and Beecher collected a match-high 26 digs.
Lauren Reichard tallied 10 kills, six digs and seven blocks, and
Kendra Koetter posted 36 assists, 10 digs and four aces, with three coming in the fifth set.
The story vs. The Citadel
Reichard broke a 9-9 tie in the fifth with a kill off a Bange assist, and Koetter came in to serve. The sophomore served up three aces and assisted on a Bange kill as the Eagles closed out the match with six straight points.
Leading the match 2-1, Georgia Southern rallied from a five-point deficit and took a 23-21 lead on a Bange kill in the fourth set. The Citadel called timeout and promptly scored the next four points to tie the match 2-2.
With the match tied 1-1, the Eagles opened a 23-18 lead on a Bange kill in the third set. The Bulldogs scored the next three to make it a two-point margin before a hitting error gave the Eagles set point. Moriah Smith posted a kill for The Citadel, but Bange put a ball down to give the Eagles the 2-1 lead in the match.
Smith finished with 23 kills and 15 digs, and Carla Bruce had 17 kills for the Bulldogs.Â
The story vs. Savannah State
The Eagles used their serve to keep the pressure on Savannah State throughout the contest. Georgia Southern tallied 14 aces in the match, and five different servers registered aces. Koetter and
Casey McColl led the way with three each.
After jumping out to a 10-0 lead to start the tilt and cruising to a 25-9 win in the first set, Georgia Southern took the opportunity to use its bench, and 16 Eagles played in the match. Savannah State fought off an Eagle comeback bid and won the third set 25-23, and the teams were tied 8-8 in the fourth. GS took control from there with a 6-0 spurt, keyed by a pair of kills by
Anna Wenger and a pair of aces by Beecher. The lead grew to as many as nine points on a kill by Murray as the Eagles won the set 25-14.
Freshman
Carly Turner led the Eagles with nine kills, while Bange collected seven kills and 10 assists and Koetter finished with a match-high 29 assists.
Quotable from head coach Dustin Wood
"We're playing with more confidence, and if we make a mistake, it's okay. When we came out for the fifth set, there was a different look to them compared to last year so I think it's more of a confidence thing and getting four wins this weekend will continue to help that grow."
"Katie (Bange) stepped up and we relied on her. She wanted the ball and she did everything well - dug, set, served well and hit well. Cathrine (Murray) is maturing and becoming the player we know she can be. She saw the court well and scored really well."
On the match at Winthrop
"It's a good test for us to see what we can do on the road, and I'm anxious to see how we come out Monday night."
Next Up
The Eagles travel to Winthrop for a non-conference tilt Monday, Sept. 5. First serve is set for 6 p.m.
All-Tournament Team
Madison Martin - Charleston Southern
Dominic Ingraham - Savannah State
Allyson Zuhlke - Jacksonville State
Moriah Smith - The Citadel
Logan Smith - The Citadel
Katie Bange - Georgia Southern (MVP)
Cathrine Murray - Georgia Southern
Alex Beecher - Georgia Southern
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