LAFAYETTE, La. – Chamblee Russell tallied a season-high 18 kills, and Georgia Southern hit .295 en route to a 3-2 (18-25, 25-22, 25-20, 21-25, 15-11) Sun Belt volleyball win over Louisiana Saturday night in Earl K. Long Gym.

Eagles of the Match 
Mya Wilson tallied 15 kills and three blocks, and Hannah McGlockton posted 13 kills and a block. Ashlyn Lovett recorded a match-high 27 digs, and Grace Slader finished with 54 assists, three digs, three kills, two aces and a block.

Key Moments
With the score tied 4-4 in the fifth, the Eagles (9-3, 2-0) scored four points in a row to open an 8-4 cushion. Baylor Bumford ended a long rally with a kill, and Lovett followed it with an ace, prompting the Ragin' Cajuns to call timeout. After Louisiana trimmed the margin to 10-7, the Eagles won another long rally after Louisiana hit the ball out of bounds. The Ragin' Cajuns (6-4, 1-1) fought off two set points, but McGlockton finished off the match with a kill from the left side.

Trailing 1-0 in the match, the Eagles led 21-15 in the second set following a McGlockton kill, but Louisiana scored five straight to trim the lead to 21-20. Slader ended the run with a kill, and two Ragin' Cajun errors made the margin 24-20. Louisiana fought off two set points before Wilson put down a ball for a 25-22 win, tying the match 1-1.

Stat of the Match
The fourth and fifth sets saw 16 ties and 10 lead changes. The Eagles are 2-0 in the Sun Belt for the first time since joining the league in 2014.

Quotables from Coach Chad Willis
"That was just an exciting match to be a part of; I feel blessed to have had a great seat for it. The energy, the fight - felt like a slugfest at times - and we're just so proud of our team for the grit and resiliency we showed all weekend. We knew it was going to take a productive offensive performance to counter Louisiana's tempo, and I thought we held our own in a tough, but fun environment. We pressured on serve when we needed it, and once again, our bench stepped up big—really willed us to that fifth-set win."

Next up
The Eagles play host to Coastal Carolina next Friday and Appalachian State next Sunday. It's Family Weekend and Alumni Weekend, and Friday's match will feature a Block Party prior to the contest.