STATESBORO – The Georgia Southern volleyball team swept a pair of matches against Coppin State and Bethune-Cookman to win the Bash in the Boro Saturday in Hanner Fieldhouse, and senior Hannah McGlockton was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player after posting 39 kills on the weekend.

The Eagles topped Coppin State 3-1 (24-26, 25-22, 25-19, 25-9) in the afternoon and defeated Bethune-Cookman 3-0 (25-20, 25-14, 25-11) in the final match of the tourney. Sophomore Grace Slader and freshman Paige Powers were named all-tournament along with McGlockton.

Georgia Southern starts the season 3-0 for the first time since 2013, when the Eagles went 28-6, won the Southern Conference Championship and made their last appearance in the NCAA Tournament. 

Eagles of the Match vs. Coppin State
McGlockton led the Eagles with 15 kills, and Powers collected 10 kills, 10 digs and a solo block in her collegiate debut. Christina Walton tallied a career-high nine kills to go along with three blocks, and Baylor Bumford added eight kills and four blocks.

Key Moments vs. Coppin State
After Coppin State overcame an 18-11 deficit to win the first set, GS returned the favor by erasing a 20-13 deficit in the second. McGlockton put down four kills in a monstrous 12-2 Southern run to cap the set and tie the match 1-1. GS tied the score 13-13 with a sideout in the third set and ran off five straight points behind the serve of Slader to open an 18-13 lead. After Coppin State trimmed the margin to 22-19, Southern scored the next three as Powers tallied a kill and a solo block, and Bumford added a block.

Stat of the Match vs. Coppin State
GS served up 12 aces, compared to one for Coppin State. Freshman Ashlynn Lovett tallied five. 

Eagles of the Match vs. Bethune-Cookman
Powers posted a team-high 11 kills and added six digs and a block, while Slader finished with 32 assists, four kills, eight digs and three blocks. Robin Rosser put down 10 kills, and McGlockton recorded seven.

Key Moments vs. Bethune-Cookman
Leading 19-18 in the first set, Georgia Southern scored five of the next six points to take control. Powers contributed a kill and an ace, and a Slader kill made the margin 24-19.

Stat of the Match vs. Bethune-Cookman
The Eagles hit .316 while holding the Wildcats to an .022 hitting percentage. 

Quotables from Coach Chad Willis
On Coppin State match:
"It was another good team win this afternoon. We were tested early on in the match, and it was great to see how our team responded. Credit to Coppin State, they really pushed us to elevate our defensive intensity, and then once we settled into our first contacts, I thought we started executing at a higher level offensively. There were a lot of positive takeaways that will continue to help us grow and get better."

On Bethune-Cookman match:
"It was a great way to finish off our opening weekend at home. I'm really proud of our team for the way we competed—especially today with such a quick turnaround. In this match, I thought we executed our game plan well, controlled first contact and ended the weekend with another solid offensive output. Each match, we had different players stepping up, which shows our depth and will continue to help us moving forward. Shout out to Eagle Nation for all their support and energy this weekend. Hanner was electric!"

Next up
Georgia Southern travels to the Blazer Invitational to take on Kennesaw State and host UAB next weekend.