STATESBORO – There were plenty of bright spots for the Eagle volleyball program despite a 3-2 loss to College of Charleston in an exhibition match Sunday afternoon in Hanner Fieldhouse.

Returners Carly Turner (6 kills), Madison Brown (32 assists) and Landon Jones (21 digs) were solid. Newcomers Baylor Bumford (6 kills, 4 blocks), Mya Wilson (6 kills, 2 blocks) and Haley Fuller (6 kills) put together nice debuts. 

Most importantly, the Eagles gained confidence as the match wore on against an opponent in College of Charleston that has won 20-plus matches in 14 of the last 15 seasons.

"It was great to have a quality opponent on the other side of the net today in College of Charleston," said first-year coach Chad Willis. "I thought we were a little anxious coming out in the first two sets, but once we settled in, you could definitely see a lot of positive things we've been prioritizing this preseason. As a staff, we were really pleased with our overall energy and effort level." 

GS opens the regular season with three matches at the Mercer Bears Classic Aug. 30-31, just under two weeks away.

"We told the team this match gives us a good idea of where we are with roughly two weeks left until our season opener - now we can watch the film, get back in the gym and continue to focus on the little things that will help us execute," said Willis. "Lastly, I want to thank all the fans who came out today. We are going to need that electricity in Hanner this fall, and we appreciate the support."

Season tickets for home matches are $50, and single-match tickets are $5-8 and $3-5 for youth ages 4-12. Group tickets for groups of 15 or more are available for $3 each and must be purchased prior to game day.