Volleyball Splits Day One of War Eagle Invitational

Friday, August 30

Auburn, AL

1:30 p.m.

Georgia Southern University

1-0,0-0Sun Belt

Wofford

0-1,0-0SoCon

Ga. Southern

Wofford

Photo by: Tyler Gallo / Georgia Southern Athletics

8/30/2024 11:05:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Photo Gallery Photo Gallery 2

Gray, Barth set career-highs in first game, Seymour sets career-high in game two

AUBURN, Ala.- Georgia Southern volleyball (1-1) took out Wofford (1-1) in four sets before being swept at the hands of host Auburn (2-0) in its first action of 2024.

GAME 1: Georgia Southern 3, Wofford 1

Riding career-highs from Jillian Gray and Reagan Barth, the Eagles went up 2-0 on Wofford before sealing the deal after the fourth set 3-1.

"It's good to get the first win of the year under your belt," head coach Chad Willis said. "I thought we came out in set one with a little bit of nerves, but once we settled in, I think we really dictated pace of play and and what we were doing, especially from a first contact standpoint."

The Eagles fell behind 15-11 early, but quickly regained form to take a 20-19 lead. Three straight kills by Barth, Maggie Sale and Jordan Christy put the Eagles up, followed by Gray and Lydia Seymour combining on a block to win the first frame.

GS hit .268 in the opening set.

The second set was a close battle, but Paige Powers' slam up 25-24 gave the Eagles a commanding 2-0 lead. The Eagles scored three straight points after falling down 24-23 to win.

Wofford used several runs against Georgia Southern's rotation and easily claimed the third set 25-11.

The Eagles would not be denied in the fourth set. The team hit .524, including a 9-4 spread to begin the set, and never looked back. Powers had two straight kills to get to set point before a Terriers error closed the game out.

Gray set a new career-high with 18 kills to go along with nine digs, picking up where she left off in the 2023 season.

"Today was a really good team performance," Gray said. "We were taking care of the ball on all sides, and our first contact was great and I think that really helped put the hitters in good positions to score."

Barth also jumped back in with her eighth career double-double (12 kills, 19 digs), a career-high for her in the digs category. Powers had 10 kills and 12 digs to pick up her sixth-career double-double. Sale recorded five blocks for a career-best in her first action in nearly two years.

Kirsten Barrett chipped in 40 assists and Ashlyn Lovett started her climb to 2,000 career digs with 27.

GAME 2: Auburn 3, Georgia Southern 0

The Eagles never really found their footing in the second game and struggled with serving, dropping to host Auburn 3-0.

"We're still trying to discover our identity and what we're going to be about, but so far, I like a lot of things that we're doing," Willis said. "We'll get back to our priorities and control our controllables, work the film tonight and be ready to get after it tomorrow."

GS nearly took the third set, getting to set point, but Auburn battled back to win 27-25.

Despite a tough loss, Seymour was a bright spot for the Eagles in the second game, recording a career-best nine kills and hitting .563, the first Eagle to hit .500 on 10 or more attempts in 2024. Gray's 11 digs marked just the second time in her career that she reached double digits.

The Eagles hit .132 in the loss and recorded nine service errors.

Sam Bowron, Kayla Knowles, Claire Smith, Mayte Camacho and Lexi Duffy all made their collegiate debuts during Friday's contests. Duffy chipped in 11 assists in her debut against Auburn.

GS has a quick turnaround in facing North Alabama at 11:30 on Saturday.