MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – The Georgia College Volleyball team (8-16) came up empty on the first day of the Peach Belt Conference (PBC)/South Atlantic Conference (SAC) Crossover Friday at the Centennial Center. The Bobcats lost to Mars Hill University (15-7) in three and fell to Lenoir-Rhyne University (11-5) in five.

Against Mars Hill, the Bobcats were edged in three tough sets, 25-21, 25-18 and 25-22.

Graduate student Sarah Stewart (Savannah) tied for a match-high with 10 kills. Senior setter Lauren Talele (Woodstock) posted 26 assists and 11 digs for her 14^th double-double this season.

Sophomore Bella DeSalvo (Hamilton, Ohio) led the way with 13 digs, flanked by 11 each from Talele and Ally Hall (Cumming).

Match two was a five-set marathon, with the Bobcats starting slowly in the first two, 25-12 and 25-14. With their backs against the wall, GC Volleyball forced it to five with a pair of 25-20 wins. GC had just two errors in set four, hitting .314 as a squad. The final set was a close one as well, but the Bobcats ran out of steam in a 15-10 loss.

Stewart once again led the charge with 16 kills, while senior Sarah Mangan (Farmingville, New York) added 10 with five blocks for 13 total points. Talele had another double-double with 38 assists and 15 digs.

DeSalvo posted a team-high 17 digs to lead the defense. Hall added 16, Talele 15 and senior Morgan Overly (St. Simons Island) added 12, a season-best.

Including today's action Mangan now has 229 career blocks, passing current assistant coach Caroline Long (2016) for third in school history. Up next is Emma Boughner (2021) with 333.

After a pair of double-digit kill matches from Stewart, she now has 634 in her career, passing Miller Howard (2016) for fifth in school history. Up next is Ebony Powers (2017) with 675.

The Bobcats are back in action tomorrow, Oct. 23 with another PBC/SAC Crossover doubleheader, taking on Carson-Newman University at 11 a.m. and Lincoln Memorial University at 1 p.m.

The proud recipients of the 2021 PBC Sportsmanship Institution of the Year, the Georgia College Department of Athletics sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. GC Athletics is now two-time winners of both the PBC Commissioner's Cup and the league's sportsmanship honor. As a Division II program, Bobcat Athletics prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the teams' continued appearances in post-season competition as well as high-level academic success and community-service involvement. Bobcat Athletics holds to the mantra of "Graduating Champions for Life". Sign up at @GCBobcats on all social media outlets for up-to-the-minute reports.