The Georgia Southern volleyball team excelled this weekend during their SpringHill Suites Invitational. Friday night, the ladies faced off against the High Point University Panthers. Junior Jamie DeRatt had a spectacular night recording 13 kills and 10 digs against the Panthers. The Eagles kept the Panthers to an .098 hitting percentage. Sophomore Alexandra Beecher led the team with 16 digs for the night, while Senior Lauren LaRocque added another 10 to the board. Along with DeRatt, Sophomore Katie Bange recorded seven kills for the Eagles, leading the team to a 3-0 victory over the Panthers.
The Eagles started Saturday off against the North Dakota State Bison. Both teams were equally matched going into the game. DeRatt continued to shine on offense by collecting 14 kills, while Bange led the Eagles with 15 kills.
After their 3-0 victory over the Bison, the Eagles’ second match of the day was against Oral Roberts. The Eagles clinched the first set of the game 25-23, but not capitalizing on their opportunities during the second set allowed the Golden Eagles to pull ahead with a 14-25 win. After a brief half-time, the Eagles pulled together once again and won the last two sets. DeRatt and Beecher led the team to victory over the Golden Eagles with 15 kills and eight digs and a season-high 24 digs.
Concluding the tournament, Sophomore Crysten Curry was named MVP of the tournament after posting 16 kills and 22 blocks. Bange and Beecher were both named to the all-tournament team after recording 32 kills and 12 blocks, and 49 digs for the weekend. After three successful games during the weekend, the Eagles brought home their third tournament title of the season. The Eagles look to continue their streak this Friday, September 20, in their Bash in the Boro tournament.
