Box Score >>>PURCHASE PHOTO PRINTS
MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – The Georgia College volleyball team (11-14, 5-11 PBC) rebounded from a 2-1 deficit to beat Francis Marion University (14-11, 7-7 PBC) in five sets Friday night at the Centennial Center. The win marks the first in program history over the Patriots.
"Tonight was an exciting win for our program," said head coach Gretchen Krumdieck. "We showed a lot of heart and played at a high level from start to finish. We're looking forward to having a great senior day tomorrow."
After the teams traded 25-19 scores in the first two sets, the Patriots got a miraculous 27-25 come-from-behind win in the second set 27-25, after the Bobcats had set point at 24-22. Georgia College picked up a strong 25-21 win in set four, then closed the comeback with a 15-13 in the final set. The Bobcats are 4-0 in five-set matches this season.
The match was almost lost in the fourth set, as Francis Marion went on a nine-point run late, cutting the big Bobcat lead down to 22-21. After a GC timeout, the Bobcats rattled off three points to take the set.
Again, the Bobcats seemingly had things under control in the fifth as well at 14-7, but a quick six-point run for Francis Marion cut the lead to just one. A kill by Kayla Brockway (Jacksonville, Florida) would provide the ever-elusive match-winning point. The Bobcats got three kills from Caroline Long (Roswell) and two each from Taylor Svehla (Cumming) and Miller Howard (Suwanee) in the final set.
Svehla led the team with 15 kills, adding eight total blocks for a 20-point night. Long finished with 13 kills and 19 digs for her fourth double-double of the season. Ebony Powers (Jacksonville, Florida) added 12 kills and five total blocks.
Brockway had 45 assists and 11 digs, her 11th double-double of the season. Katie Ray (Cumming) led the squad with 31 digs, while Ella Anastasiades (Atlanta) chipped in 15.
The 31 digs for Ray are a career-high, besting her previous mark of 30 in the win at the University of West Georgia. The mark is second in school history, behind Anastasiades' 33-dig effort against GRU Augusta in 2014.
The Bobcats will be back in action tomorrow, Nov. 7 at 2 p.m., hosting UNC Pembroke for Senior Day. Georgia College will honor Anastasiades and Sydney Stripling (Douglasville) prior to tomorrow's contest.
The Georgia College Department of Athletics, two-time winners of the PBC Commissioner's Cup, sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. As a Division II program, Bobcat Athletics prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the teams' multiple appearances in post-season competition as well as documented academic success and community-service involvement. Sign up at @GCBobcats on social media for up-to-the-minute reports, and visit GCBobcats.PhotoReflect.com to purchase photo prints from home athletic contests.
