MOBILE, Ala. – Maddie Bryant tallied a career high 21 kills to lead Georgia Southern to a 3-2 Sun Belt volleyball win over South Alabama Friday night.

It was Georgia Southern's first five-set win of the season and the most kills for an Eagle individual since Megan Chevalier posted 21 in a five-setter against ULM in 2016. 

Key moments
South Alabama (6-10, 0-3) fought off one match point in the fifth, but Carly Turner put down a ball for the Eagles (5-10, 1-1) and Lauren Reichard served up an ace for the win. The Eagles scored four straight points, with the help of kills by Bryant and Lauren Hager, to erase a 10-6 deficit in the set.

Bryant recorded three kills as the Eagles scored five straight points and used an 11-2 spurt to open a 21-12 cushion in the fourth on their way to tying the match 2-2.

Eagles of the Match
Bryant hit .271 and registered four digs and two blocks, and libero Joscelin Morrow collected a season-high 21 digs. Turner also had a career high with 16 kills and hit .270 while adding two blocks.

Quotables from coach Dustin Wood
"I'm so proud of this team tonight. We came out flat in the first set, but what I saw from a lot of them was amazing. They believe in each other and themselves and their abilities as players. How we handled ourselves in the fifth set was something we have been talking to our kids about since the season started. We asked them to stay aggressive and to keep with the game plan. They did that tonight. We didn't get rattled in the pressure moments, and we executed."

"Maddie Bryant and Carly had career games. This is exactly what we were looking for in our left sides. I'm so proud of those two!"

"I'm proud of my staff for doing a great job with our kids this week. I'm proud of our kids for trusting the game plan. We will enjoy this tonight and concentrate on Troy tomorrow."

Next Up
The Eagles have a day off before taking on Troy at 1:30 p.m. ET Sunday. The match will air live on ESPN+.