STATESBORO – Skylar Ball recorded a career–high 10 kills to go along with four blocks in the nightcap against Charlotte, but Georgia Southern lost a pair of matches at the Bash in the Boro Saturday in Hanner Fieldhouse.

GS fell 3-1 (25-18, 25-16, 23-25, 25-21) to tournament champion Bethune-Cookman (2-4) in the morning, and lost 3-1 (25-23, 21-25, 26-24, 25-17) to Charlotte tonight.

Ball earned all-tournament honors for the Eagles (2-4). Lauren Reichard posted 21 kills and six blocks in the two matches, and Cathrine Murray chipped in 17 kills and 19 digs. Anna Wenger added 19 kills and four blocks, while April Luther finished the day with 81 assists and 17 digs. Joscelin Morrow contributed 34 digs.

The story vs. Bethune-Cookman
Bethune-Cookman used a 10-4 run to take control of the first set and hit .382 in the second set to open a 2-0 lead in the match. 

The Eagles fought back to win the third set by erasing an early 13-8 deficit. With the score tied 22-22, a pair of Landon Jones serves led to attack errors by the Wildcats, and Reichard capped the set with a kill.

The score was tied 19-19 in the fourth, but tournament MVP Rakaya Neely keyed a pair of blocks in a three-point BCU run. Wenger answered with a kill for the Eagles, and Carly Turner and Reichard combined for a block that made the margin 22-21. Neely halted the run with a kill, and the Wildcats won the next two points to end the match.

Reichard led the way with 17 kills and three blocks, and Murray finished with 10 kills and 13 digs. Wenger added 11 kills.

The story vs. Charlotte
The Eagles defense was solid and held the 49ers to a .160 hitting percentage, but Georgia southern hit .118 and could not find its offensive stride. 

With the Eagles trailing 23-22 in the first set, Reichard got a block to tie the score, but Charlotte answered with kills from Sydney Rowan and Kaylyn Torain to take the set. GS used a 7-0 run behind the serve of Joscelin Morrow to break a 16-16 tie and open a 23-16 cushion in the second en route to tying the match.

Murray helped the Eagles fight off one set point with a kill in the third set, but Jocelyn Stoner and Tatyana Thomas tallied consecutive kills to open a 2-1 lead in the match.

The Eagles lost Reichard to an injury in the third set, and that took the wind out of their sales a bit in the fourth. Charlotte opened the frame with a 12-3 run and led by as many as 11 points on its way to winning the set 25-17. Freshman Lauren Hager made her collegiate debut and registered two kills and three blocks, while Kendall Adams notched her first kill of the season. 

Quotable from head coach Dustin Wood
"We struggled passing the ball and we struggled getting our middles involved, and then Lauren gets hurt and the team was a little lost. Cathrine (Murray) and Chev (Megan Chevalier) did a great job of keeping us together but when one person goes down, somebody else has to step up and that's what we're looking for. We're looking forward to see who is going to step up."

"I think our young kids handled themselves pretty well. When Hager (Lauren Hager) went in there, she produced. The game is a little fast for her right now, but she made some adjustments and got a block and two kills on three swings. It was good experience for her, and then Kendall came in and provided a spark. It was a little bit too late, but they fought hard."

On next week's GATA Challenge
"Kennesaw is a very tough team, and Savannah State is an improving team. It gives us a chance to find what is going to work for us in terms of a system. We have to work through it this week and make sure we get our best lineup on the floor."

Next up
The Eagles play host to Savannah State and Kennesaw State in the GATA Challenge in Hanner Fieldhouse next weekend. GS hosts Savannah State at noon Friday to start the tournament and takes on Kennesaw State at 7 p.m.

Bash in the Boro All-Tournament Team
Rakaya Neely (MVP) - BCU
Phalen Clark - BCU
Jordan Jefferson - BCU
Tatyana Thomas - CHA
Yumi Garcia - CHA
Skylar Ball - GS
Carina Hoff - UNF

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