Friday, December 1
Greenville, N.C.
2:00 p.m.
Georgia Southern University
22-8,10-6Sun Belt
3
vs
2
Winthrop
14-14,12-2Big South
1
2
3
4
5
F
Winthrop
25
24
24
25
10
2
Ga. Southern
20
26
26
23
15
3
Photo by: Tyler Gallo / Georgia Southern Athletics
Lovett Sets Single-Game Digs Record, Volleyball Tops Winthrop in NIVC First Round
12/1/2023 5:40:00 PM | Volleyball
Volleyball earns first-ever postseason win in Greenville
GREENVILLE, N.C.– Georgia Southern volleyball (22-8, 10-6 Sun Belt) earned its first-ever postseason win in program history, taking down Winthrop (14-14, 12-2 Big South) in five sets at Minges Coliseum on Friday.
"We knew coming in that Winthrop would be a good test, and we showed a lot of resiliency today," head coach Chad Willis said. "We told the team all week that if we couldn't get it going offensively, we were going to have to match their defensive intensity, and I thought we did a really good job of that today."
The Eagles held a 7-3 lead in the first set, but a quick 6-1 run for Winthrop gave them a 9-8 lead they wouldn't relinquish. GS made it as close as 24-20, but couldn't close it out.
Georgia Southern bounced back following the first set, winning two 26-24 marathons. In the third set, the Eagles went on an early 8-1 run, and while Winthrop came back, GS emerged victorious.
The Eagles' blocking picked up late, specifically, Megan Vickery and Jordan Christy, who combined for a pair of block assists late in the third set.
Winthrop took a 25-23 decision in the fourth frame, making some timely plays just to hold off Georgia Southern on the other side.
In the fifth and decisive stanza, the Eagles bent but did not break. Down 4-1, the team tied the game and ultimately stretched out a lead. Jillian Gray closed out the match with her 14th kill as the Eagles won 15-10.
In the match, Ashlyn Lovett broke Alex Beecher's record of 40 digs set on 11/3/12 against Western Carolina, recording 45 digs to go along with the team's 102.
"I was just trying to keep every ball alive today," Lovett said. "I didn't want our season to end and our team had the same mindset, and I made sure that I was on every ball."
Chamblee Russell had 15 kills, and Gray's 14 were not far behind. Vickery recorded eight total blocks to lead all players.
Georgia Southern will wait for the East Carolina-Citadel matchup to find out its next opponent.
"We knew coming in that Winthrop would be a good test, and we showed a lot of resiliency today," head coach Chad Willis said. "We told the team all week that if we couldn't get it going offensively, we were going to have to match their defensive intensity, and I thought we did a really good job of that today."
The Eagles held a 7-3 lead in the first set, but a quick 6-1 run for Winthrop gave them a 9-8 lead they wouldn't relinquish. GS made it as close as 24-20, but couldn't close it out.
Georgia Southern bounced back following the first set, winning two 26-24 marathons. In the third set, the Eagles went on an early 8-1 run, and while Winthrop came back, GS emerged victorious.
The Eagles' blocking picked up late, specifically, Megan Vickery and Jordan Christy, who combined for a pair of block assists late in the third set.
Winthrop took a 25-23 decision in the fourth frame, making some timely plays just to hold off Georgia Southern on the other side.
In the fifth and decisive stanza, the Eagles bent but did not break. Down 4-1, the team tied the game and ultimately stretched out a lead. Jillian Gray closed out the match with her 14th kill as the Eagles won 15-10.
In the match, Ashlyn Lovett broke Alex Beecher's record of 40 digs set on 11/3/12 against Western Carolina, recording 45 digs to go along with the team's 102.
"I was just trying to keep every ball alive today," Lovett said. "I didn't want our season to end and our team had the same mindset, and I made sure that I was on every ball."
Chamblee Russell had 15 kills, and Gray's 14 were not far behind. Vickery recorded eight total blocks to lead all players.
Georgia Southern will wait for the East Carolina-Citadel matchup to find out its next opponent.
Team Stats
Win
GS
Kills
61
60
Errors
38
35
Attempts
216
212
Hitting %
.106
.118
Points
81.0
79.0
Assists
56
57
Aces
6
1
Blocks
14
18
Game Leaders
Kills
15
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Kills
14
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Players Mentioned
RS
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
DS
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
MB
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