STATESBORO – Lauren Reichard posted 11 kills on 12 swings and added three blocks, two aces and a pair of assists to lead Georgia Southern to a 3-0 (25-14, 25-18, 25-13) non-conference volleyball win over Savannah State Monday night in Hanner Fieldhouse.
Cathrine Murray posted nine kills, seven digs and four blocks, leaving the senior 10 kills shy of 1,000 for her career.
Carly Turner notched eight kills, and Georgia Southern (8-19) finished with 12 aces, with
Brooke Birch serving four and
Landon Jones adding two.
Tyron Chenault had six kills to lead Savannah State (3-24).
The story
With the score tied 5-5 in the first, the Eagles used an 11-3 run to take control of the set. Turner had two kills during the run, and the Eagles served six aces in the set with Jones recording two in a row.
The Eagles built a 22-18 lead in the second set, and Reichard put down consecutive balls before Turner served an ace for the 2-0 lead in the match. The Eagles broke a 4-4 tie with a 6-0 run, sparked by two kills by
Anna Wenger and capped by a Reichard ace, to build a big cushion in the third.
GS hit .395 for the match with Reichard leading the way with a school single-match record .917 hitting percentage.
Quotable from head coach Dustin Wood
"They served us tough and aggressive tonight, especially in the first set, so it allowed us to work on the things we needed to and we wound up passing really well. I'm pleased with our passers - they put the ball where our setters needed it to distribute, and it showed in the .395 hitting percentage."
On Senior Night Wednesday
"This is the first class that's been with me all four years so they are a special group. They have meant a lot to me, and I've learned a lot from them and hopefully we can get them a win in their last home match."
Next up
The Eagles host Georgia State in the home finale on Senior Night Wednesday. First serve is set for 6:30 p.m., Georgia Southern will honor its three seniors before the match and the contest will be broadcast live on ESPN3.
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.
