STATESBORO – Emily Jarome registered 18 kills and 12 digs, while Ashlyn Lovett tallied 26 digs to lead Georgia Southern to a 3-1 (25-23, 25-11, 25-27, 25-21) Sun Belt volleyball win over Georgia State Friday night in Hanner Fieldhouse.

Eagles of the Match
Jarome added three aces and four blocks, and Jordan Christy finished with 12 kills and four blocks. Paige Powers totaled 10 kills, seven digs and two blocks, and Grace Underwood recorded seven kills, six aces and five blocks. Callaway Cason finished with 45 assists, 11 digs and three kills.

Key Moments
The Eagles (13-6, 5-2) trailed 22-20 in the first set but won five out of the next six points to win the frame 25-23. Powers and Jarome sparked the run with consecutive kills to tie the score 22-22. After the Panthers (5-16, 1-8) scored a point with a block, Jarome put down a kill, Underwood served an ace and Jarome ended the set with a kill.

Southern never trailed in the second set and used a 10-1 run to open a 15-5 cushion. Powers tallied two kills during the run, while Christy and Underwood combined for two blocks. 

After State won the third set and the first four points of the fourth, Underwood posted four kills in a 6-0 Eagle run that opened a 16-10 advantage. State battled back, fought off two match points and trailed 24-21, but Underwood sealed the victory with a kill.

Key Stats
The Eagles held a 12-6 edge in aces, and the teams combined to record 184 digs.

Quotables from Coach Chad Willis
"I'm proud of the effort tonight and dialing in on the game plan. We did a really nice job of getting pressure from the service line and created opportunities in transition that helped us close out the match in set 4. Our team did a great job of battling and staying the course— we need to turn around and bring that same energy tomorrow."

Next up
The Eagles and Panthers play again Saturday at 1 p.m. in Hanner Fieldhouse. It's a Blue Out and the match will air live on ESPN+.