GREENVILLE, N.C.– Georgia Southern volleyball (23-8, 10-6 Sun Belt) survived and advanced in the NIVC after earning a true-road sweep of East Carolina (21-11, 11-8 American) on Saturday.

"What a match," head coach Chad Willis said. "I'm not sure that in 19 years of doing this, I have had as much fun as I'm having right now with this group. It's credit to their tenaciousness and credit to their resiliency. They want to keep playing, they want to stay connected, they want to keep going for each other. Couldn't be more proud of our group."

After trading points early, Chamblee Russell's kill capped off a key 5-0 run to lead 6-2. The Eagles added to their lead, and Jillian Gray closed out a 25-20 win with a kill.

The Eagles stormed out to an eight-point spread in the second set, leading 15-7 after Jordan Christy and Megan Vickery combined on a block assist. 

The Pirates ran back to take a 21-20 lead, but a 4-0 run, completed with an Ainsley Clifford ace, put the Eagles at set point. Christy sent down a kill to end the set at 25-22.

ECU regained control late in the third set at 19-16, but the Eagles rallied after a timeout, going on a 5-1 run to win the match and sweep East Carolina in both games played against the team this season.

Gray, who ended both games with a kill in the tournament, recorded 15 kills, stretching her total to 29 in the two games.

"Staying the course helped us out a lot," Gray said. "Our defense kept us alive in the third set and put us in position to score with many good plays."

Russell's ten were second-best on the Eagles, leading the team with five total blocks, and Paige Powers recorded 14 digs to pace the team.

Georgia Southern will host the next round at Hanner Fieldhouse, taking on USF at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday.

"We need Eagle Nation, we need everybody in full out in full force," Willis said. "This week, we played well enough to win. It's a great opportunity in the Great Eight of this tournament to be able to host it in Hanner, feed off that energy and feed off that crowd. It's going to be a great environment next week."