STATESBORO– Georgia Southern volleyball (10-1) closed its non-conference slate with another resounding victory, toppling Bethune-Cookman (0-10) 25-9, 25-11, 25-15 on Friday night in the first leg of the GATA Challenge.

"One of our goals in this match was continuing to play clean, and we did that in the first two sets," head coach Chad Willis said. "Overall, I'm really pleased with the performance."

The Eagles left no doubt in the opening set, sailing to a 25-9 victory. Chamblee Russell had a season and match-high 14 kills and had four of her total in the opening frame. The 14-point spread was the most they led at any point during the set.

"We came into this game with a gameplan, and we executed," Russell said. "We were able to swing big, put dents in the floor, and come out and control the net, which was our goal."

The second set, similar to the first, was controlled from the jump by Georgia Southern. The home team started with a 7-0 run, and while the Wildcats did get within striking distance, the Eagles pulled away late. Reagan Barth and Megan Vickery closed out the 25-11 win with kills.

BCU fought back in the early portion of the third stanza, but the Eagles closed out the match with a 25-15 win and another 3-0 sweep, posting a 10-1 record heading into conference play.

Russell's 14 kills paced the floor, while Jillian Gray also reached double digits with ten. Logan Jones recorded three service aces in her season debut, while Kirsten Barrett dished 24 assists.

The Eagles improved to 7-0 at home, having won 21 of a possible 22 sets, and extended the win streak to five games.

GS has a week to prepare for Arkansas State with the first game coming at 6:00 on Friday.