STATESBORO – Senior middle Lauren Reichard tallied a match-high 17 kills to go along with three blocks to lead Georgia Southern to a 3-1 Sun Belt Volleyball win over Georgia State on Senior night Friday in Hanner Fieldhouse. 

Southern picks up half a point in the Southern vs. State Rivalry Series to tie the score 2.0-2.0. The loss also knocks the Panthers out of contention for the Sun Belt Tournament.

Eagles of the Match
Senior Joscelin Morrow collected a career-high 27 digs to go along with six assists, and classmate Julia Landavazo notched a career-high nine kills and four digs for Georgia Southern (9-22, 3-13).

Key Moment
Trailing 1-0 in the match and with the score tied 24-24 in the second, Carly Turner put down consecutive kills to give the Eagles a 26-24 win. Down 2-1 in the match, State (7-19, 4-12) erased a 22-17 deficit in the third, and a kill by Madelyn Ott gave the Panthers set point. Southern fought off two set points, and Maddie Bryant gave the Eagles match point at 29-28 with a kill. Bryant served, and Ott hit a ball into the net to give the Eagles the set, 30-28.

Stat of the Match
Southern out-hit the Panthers, with a 66-56 advantage in kills, and out-dug State 76-55.

Quotables from head coach Dustin Wood
On winning two tight sets
"I was pleased with them. They got tight a little bit, but we pushed through and found a way. That's the biggest thing. They found a way, and I don't care how it looks."

On the senior class
"Lauren and Jos have played a lot and been a foundation for us. The player development from Jos from her freshman year when she didn't think she could do it to starting and having career nights like this as a senior has been fun to watch. I'm really proud of Julia - offensively, she helped win the match tonight. That kid is a true teammate and really genuine person. I'm also happy were able to get a win for April, who unfortunately, she couldn't be on the court tonight. It's really nice to send all four seniors out with a win."

Next Up
The Eagles see the 2018 season come to a close. GS is set to return 16 letterwinners and five starters to the 2019 team.