PREVIEW: Georgia Southern Set for Eagle Invitational in Hanner Fieldhouse

Thursday, September 17

Statesboro, Ga.

6 p.m.

Georgia Southern University

Kennesaw State

PREVIEW: Georgia Southern Set for Eagle Invitational in Hanner Fieldhouse

9/16/2026 10:24:00 AM | Volleyball

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STATESBORO – Georgia Southern volleyball returns to the friendly confines of Hanner Fieldhouse to close out non-conference play, hosting the Eagle Invitational. The Blue and White will face Kennesaw State, Fordham, and North Florida, as part of the four-day tournament. The Eagles open the weekend on Thursday against Kennesaw State at 6 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

FIRST SERVE

Head coach Chad Willis enters the Eagle Invitational on Thursday evening needing three wins to become the Eagles all-time wins leader as a head coach. In his eight seasons at the helm, Willis has amassed 114 total victories, trailing only Kerry Messersmith who posted 116 during her tenure.
Georgia Southern volleyball returns to the friendly confines of Hanner Fieldhouse for the final non-conference matches of the season, as the Eagles host Kennesaw State, Fordham, and North Florida for the Eagle Invitational. The Blue and White return from Winston-Salem with a 5-4 record, sweeping ETSU and ECU, but falling to Wake Forest in five sets on the road.
Second year opposite, Beka Pfefferkorn, enjoyed a breakout weekend for the Eagles earning her a spot on the Deactown Invitational All-Tournament team, just a week after being honored on the GATA Challenge All-Tournament team. Pfefferkorn produced 36 kills across three matches, adding four assists, nine digs, and eight blocks, while scoring 40.0 points. The highlight of the weekend was her career performance against Wake Forest, tallying 25 kills and hitting .447. She added three assists to her line, seven digs, and five blocks to cap off her efforts against the Demon Deacons.
Following nearly a year and a half hiatus, with continuous rehab, third year right side Ava Olsen, made an emotional return to the court on Sunday against ECU in the closing set. Olsen entered the match with the Eagles searching for match point and helped produce the match clinching point, while the entire bench was brought to tears. The moment on Sunday showed the culture and people that Georgia Southern volleyball has, supporting each other through thick and thin.
One of the most decorated athletes in program history added to her legacy this past weekend, as Reagan Barth passed Litonya Thompson (1992-95) for fourth all-time in program history for kills. Entering the Eagle Invitational, Barth has collected 1,267 total kills and now sets her sights on Bethany Sanford (2008-11) who recorded 1,627 during her time in Statesboro. The Lenexa, Kansas, native has averaged 386.33 kills per season while adding a career high 450 kills in 2025. As the Eagles enter the weekend, Barth has recorded 108 kills, averaging 3.86 per set.
Second year outside hitter, Anna Powell, helped guide the Eagles to a 3-0 sweep of ECU, earning the Deactown Invitational Championship. The Louisville, Kentucky, native produced a career high 13 kills in her three sets against ECU, hitting .357, and adding nine digs to her line. Her 14 points scored were the most in a match in her career and aided the Eagles in their fourth sweep of an opponent this season.