PREVIEW: Eagles Travel to Winston-Salem to Compete in the DEACtown Invitational

Friday, September 11

Winston-Salem, N.C.

3:30 p.m.

Georgia Southern University

ETSU

PREVIEW: Eagles Travel to Winston-Salem to Compete in the DEACtown Invitational

9/10/2026 1:58:00 PM | Volleyball

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STATESBORO – Georgia Southern volleyball concludes the road portion of non-conference play this weekend traveling to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to compete in the DEACtown Invitational, hosted by Wake Forest. The Eagles will face off against ETSU on Friday afternoon, before competing against host Wake Forest on Saturday, and closing the tournament on Sunday morning against ECU.

FIRST SERVE

Head coach Chad Willis enters the 2026 season seeking to become the all-time wins leader at Georgia Southern. In his eighth season at the helm of the Eagles, Willis has amassed 112 victories in Statesboro and will begin the hunt toward the top spot held by Kerry Messersmith, who recorded 116.
Georgia Southern volleyball heads to its second non-conference tournament of the season, traveling to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to compete in the DEACtown Invitational, hosted by Wake Forest. For the Eagles it's just another weekend, but for head coach Chad Willis, it marks the first time since 2013 that Willis has returned to his old stomping grounds with a team to compete. Willis was an assistant coach for the Demon Deacons, before being promoted to associated head coach prior to the 2012 campaign. Willis also served as the team's recruiting coordinator and assistant camp director during his tenure. Georgia Southern opens the DEACtown Invitational with ETSU on Friday, host Wake Forest on Saturday, and East Carolina on Sunday.
First year setter, Bella Ekeler, continued to shine in her home debut this weekend, collecting 69 total assists, including a career high 31 against Radford on Saturday. The Eagles swept the GATA Challenge tournament, improving to 3-3 on the season. Ekeler followed her career-best 31 assist performance by tallying 17 digs, a new best, against Eastern Kentucky on Sunday to close out the tournament. The Knoxville, Tennessee, native has appeared in 23 sets for the Eagles, splitting time at setter with Lexi Duffy.
The heart and soul of Eagle volleyball, Reagan Barth, continued to add to her legacy this past week, earning Tournament MVP, an All-Tournament nod, and collected her first Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week award this season. It marks the fourth time in her career that she has been tabbed as a player of the week by the league, after collecting 43 kills (3.91 per set), three aces, 19 digs, and seven total blocks this weekend.
Second year outside hitter, Beka Pfefferkorn, continues to leave her mark on the Eagles program since joining the squad in January. In her home debut, Pfefferkorn produced 34 total kills across three matches, hitting .333 for the tournament, and collected seven total blocks defensively. Her performance earned her a spot on the GATA Challenge All-Tournament team, after collecting 12-plus kills in back-to-back matches to close out the tournament.