Probable Starters (based on last match):
#1
Ashlyn Lovett
#7
Emily Jarome
#13
Baylor Bumford
#14
Grace Underwood
#15
Robin Rosser
#20
Callaway Cason
#21
Paige Powers
• Coming off a 3-0 weekend at the Tussle in the Triad and riding a five-match win streak, Georgia Southern travels to the Sunshine Invitational to take on No. 16 Florida, host of the tournament, along with VCU and FGCU.
• The Eagles have not lost a set since being swept by Stetson in their season-opening match.
• The contest against Florida will be the Eagles' 13th match against a ranked opponent since 2000 (0-12).
• Setter
Callaway Cason was named the Tournament MVP at the Tussle in the Triad, while
Ashlyn Lovett and
Paige Powers joined her on the all-tournament team.
• Georgia Southern ranks fifth in the country in aces (2.72/set), fifth in opponents' hitting percentage (.110) and 27th in hitting percentage (.287). GS leads the Sun Belt in all three categories.
• Lovett ranks second in the nation in aces (1.07/set) and third in the Sun Belt in digs (4.80/set), while
Emily Jarome ranks fifth in the Sun Belt in kills (3.87/set).
Grace Underwood is fifth in the league in hitting percentage (.415), and
Robin Rosser is seventh (.353).
• Georgia Southern is searching for its first victory against Florida (0-3) and FGCU (0-2). The Eagles own a 2-2 record against VCU in the all-time series, which began in 1993.
• Georgia Southern finished the 2021 campaign with a 17-11 record, the most wins for the program since the 2013 season, and their nine Sun Belt victories were the most since joining the league in 2014. Their 11 home wins were the most since 2013, when GS went 13-2 in Hanner Fieldhouse.
• Georgia Southern returned 15 letterwinners, including 2021 first-team All-Sun Belt selection
Baylor Bumford and Freshman of the Year
Ashlyn Lovett, and added three transfers and two freshmen to the 2022 roster. The Eagles were picked third in the East Division in the Sun Belt Preseason Coaches Poll, and Bumford garnered preseason all-league accolades.
• The Eagles' roster has been bolstered by three transfers who are making an impact this season.
Emily Jarome was a three-time All-CAA selection at Towson and led the Tigers to three CAA Tournament Championships and subsequent NCAA Tournament appearances. Jarome's Eagle debut was her 100th career match, and she has 1,091 career kills, 808 digs, 182 blocks and 93 aces.
Grace Underwood, Jarome's club teammate on East Coast Power, transferred from Delaware where she logged 147 blocks in 58 career matches, and
Callaway Cason transferred from Ole Miss.
• Bumford is 56 blocks shy of 300 for her career, and Lovett notched her 500th career dig last weekend.
• The Sun Belt lost two programs and added four in James Madison, Marshall, Old Dominion and Southern Miss, and the league slate features Friday and Saturday matches against the same opponent. The league is separated into East and West Divisions, and teams will play two matches against each team in its division and four matches against teams in the opposite division. League standings and Sun Belt Tournament seeding will be determined by each team's record inside its own division, and all 14 teams will play in the league's championship Nov. 16-20, at the Foley Sports Complex in Foley, Alabama.
• This will mark the second consecutive year that the Sun Belt Tournament will take place in Foley, and each of the tournament's matches will be broadcast on ESPN+.
• Georgia Southern returns home to host its second tournament of the season, the GATA Challenge Sept. 16-17 in Hanner Fieldhouse. The Eagles will take on Queens, Saint Francis and Chattanooga.
