STATESBORO, Ga. (9/22/23) – In its Sun Belt Conference opener, the Arkansas State volleyball team dropped a 3-0 (25-18, 27-25, 25-17) decision to Georgia Southern Friday night inside Hanner Fieldhouse.

The Red Wolves (10-3, 0-1 SBC) hit just .064 in the match, while the Eagles (11-1, 1-0) took advantage of eight blocks on the night. Erin Madigan handed out 27 assists, with Bailey Helzer notching a team-high eight kills. Defensively, Kaitlin Whitlock collected a team-best 14 digs.

A-State took early momentum in the opening set, but the momentum swung toward the hosts, who led 15-10 at the media timeout before an ace made it 16-10. The Red Wolves pulled within five on a Whitlock kill, but a 4-0 run handed the Eagles set point up 24-15. A kill and solo block by Haley Glunz saved a pair of points, followed by an attack error, but Georgia Southern held on to take a 1-0 lead in the match.

The Scarlet and Black once again held an early lead in the second set, with an Abby Harris kill putting the count at 8-5. A 7-1 run moved the Eagles ahead 12-9, but A-State held tough and reclaimed a 17-16 lead on a kill by Helzer. After Georgia Southern took a 20-17 advantage, the Red Wolves knotted it at 21-all to force a timeout, and then battled back from a 23-21 deficit to hold set point. GSU moved on to clinch a two-set lead by taking four of the final five points in the frame.

Needing a set win to extend the match, A-State surged to an early 7-2 lead, but the Eagles chipped away at the margin and ultimately closed the match with a 16-4 run to seal the win.

NEXT UP

Arkansas State looks to bounce back against Georgia Southern on Saturday. First serve against the Eagles inside Hanner Fieldhouse is set for Noon CT and the match can be seen on ESPN+.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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