CONWAY, S.C. – Ella Saada and Jasmine Rivest each tallied 19 kills to lead Coastal Carolina to a 3-2 (22-25, 25-20, 25-18, 26-28, 15-11) Sun Belt volleyball win over Georgia Southern Saturday afternoon in the HTC Center.
Eagles of the Match
Emily Jarome finished with a match-high 22 kills and added 11 digs, and
Grace Underwood collected four kills, eight digs, six aces and two blocks.
Paige Powers finished with 10 kills, while
Jordan Christy and
Baylor Bumford each posted nine kills.
Callaway Cason had 49 assists and six digs.
Key Moments
Coastal Carolina (14-5, 6-0) scored six of the first seven points in the fifth set and opened a 6-1 cushion on a Rivet kill. The Eagles battled back and a Jarome kill trimmed the margin to 12-10, but the Eagles hit out of bounds on two consecutive players to set up match point. Jarome put down a kill, but Jasmine Rivest finished the match with a kill.
Bumford had four kills, while Cason and Jarome each notched two as the Eagles (10-6, 2-2) scored 10 straight points to open a 10-2 lead in the fourth set. Coastal Carolina responded with a 13-3 run and opened a 15-13 cushion on a Brigitta Petrenko kill. The teams went back and forth from there, and trailing 24-20, the Chants fought off four set points before taking a 26-25 lead on an Eagle hitting error. A Powers kill tied it up for GS before Lovett served an ace and Christy put down a kill to end the set and tie the match 2-2.
Key stats
The Eagles owned a 10-3 edge in aces, but the Chants had a 76-56 advantage in digs. Coastal hit .315 for the match, while GS hit .209.
Quotables from Coach Chad Willis
"We're disappointed in the loss, but I thought we did a much better job today of controlling first contact and getting pressure but came up short executing to finish. Our effort and energy were consistent, and we've got a group that knows how to compete and respond so we'll get back after it this week before hitting the road again next weekend."
Next up
The Eagles cap a six-match Sun Belt road swing at Marshall next weekend. The teams meet Friday night at 6 p.m. and Saturday at noon, and both matches will be broadcast on ESPN+.
