ARLINGTON, Texas – Qiana Canete registered 17 kills, 10 digs and a block to lead UTA to a 3-1 (25-18, 25-22, 22-25, 25-21) Sun Belt Conference volleyball win over Georgia Southern Saturday night in the College Park Center.
Lauren Reichard tallied 12 kills, five digs and six blocks to lead Georgia Southern (7-15, 3-7), and
Megan Chevalier posted eight kills and two blocks.
Skylar Ball and
Anna Wenger each notched seven kills.
Zhanelle Geathers had 16 kills and two blocks for UTA (9-12, 3-5), and Kylie Jedlicka finished with 12 kills and 12 assists.
The story
The Eagles won the third set to make the score 2-1 in the match and tied the score 14-14 in the fourth with the help of a Reichard kill. The Mavs answered by scoring seven of the next 10 points and opened a 21-17 cushion on a Canete kill.
GS cut the margin to 23-21 on a block by
Cathrine Murray and Reichard, but Madison McConnell and Jedlicka put down consecutive kills for UTA to end the match.
Down 2-0 in the match, the Eagles used a 10-4 spurt to take control of the third set as Reichard posted two kills and a block during the stretch. The Mavs cut the margin to 22-21, but Reichard put down two kills to help the Eagles win the set.
Ahead 1-0 in the match, Haley Higgins served for two points and recorded an ace as the Mavs broke a 21-21 tie in the second and finished the frame with a 4-1 run. Geathers and Tessa Harfield combined for a block to seal the win and put the Mavs up 2-0 in the match.
Quotable from head coach Dustin Wood
"It was a tough weekend on the road for us. We played well in spurts this weekend, but that isn't going to cut it to win matches against the better teams in our conference standings. I have high expectations, and we are not where we need to be. We have to regroup and be better in all areas of the game as players and coaches."
"We passed well tonight and after the first set, our hitting percentage was where it needed to be, but they had 13 more assists than we did, which was one of the major differences in the match. I thought UTA played well, and JT is doing a great job there. We could see them again in the conference tournament possibly, but we have to earn a spot to the tournament first."
"I'm proud of Carly (Turner) and Chev (
Megan Chevalier) this weekend. They both provided a spark tonight. Jos (Morrow) and Cathrine (Murray) were leaders on the floor. I know they will lead this team this week to get ready for another road swing next week in Arkansas."
Next up
GS travels to Arkansas next weekend for a pair of Sun Belt matches. The Eagles take on Little Rock Friday and Arkansas State Saturday.
The volleyball program has launched a crowdfunding campaign to benefit Eagle Volleyball for years to come. It will be active until Friday, November 10, 2017, giving Eagle Volleyball only six weeks to reach their goal of $104,030. Contributions to the volleyball program fund commemorative gifts for graduating volleyball players, student-athlete trips to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, recruiting efforts, volleyball-specific training tools, locker room upgrades and overall experience for volleyball student-athletes.
Donate today at Give.GSEagles.com/Volleyball and share this fundraising link to support Eagle Volleyball.
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In order to expedite entry and provide a safe environment for all patrons and participants, Georgia Southern Athletics has implemented a Clear Bag Policy for all ticketed sporting events, effective Aug. 1, 2017. Fans can find the complete policy as well as an FAQ section at GSEagles.com/ClearBag.
