DUE WEST, S.C. – The Georgia College Volleyball team (0-4) lost two matches to close out the Erskine College Tournament Saturday, falling 3-1 to Francis Marion University (1-2) and 3-0 to Shorter University (3-1).

The Bobcats opened up the day with a familiar foe in Francis Marion. Former members of the Peach Belt Conference (PBC) up until this season, the Bobcats and Patriots had met twice a year, with FMU owning a 10-7 advantage in the all-time series.

FMU nabbed the first set 25-20 and the Bobcats responded with a 25-20 of their own to knot up the score. A 25-19 third set and 25-17 fourth both went to the Patriots to close things out.

Newcomer Ally Hall (Cumming, Georgia) continues to be a bright spot in the loss, rattling off a team-best 16 kills, flanked by 12 from Sarah Mangan (Farmingville, New York). Junior setter Lauren Talele (Woodstock, Georgia) had 33 assists, and freshman libero Bella DeSalvo (Hamilton, Ohio) paced the defense with 14 digs.

In the second bout of the day, the Bobcats came up on the short end of three sets with Shorter. The Hawks advanced to the Gulf South Conference Spring Championship Series Quarterfinal in the spring. Shorter swept the sets by extremely slim margins, 25-23, 25-17 and 25-23.

None of the Bobcats managed double-digit kills, led again by Hall with seven. Talele had 17 assists, while DeSalvo pulled in 10 digs. Freshman Mary Kate Kotzin (Dunwoody) was busy on the front line with four total blocks.

The Bobcats open up the home portion of the Fall 2021 schedule next, taking on Albany State University Tuesday, Sept. 7 at 6 p.m. in the Centennial Center. Spectator policies have returned to normal operations.  

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.