MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – The Georgia College & State University Volleyball squad (4-7, 1-0 PBC) got the Peach Belt Conference (PBC) season off on the right foot Tuesday, responding to a raucous Tailgate Tour crowd with a sweep of USC Aiken (9-3, 0-1 PBC) at the Centennial Center.

Bobcat Athletics held a special tailgate prior to the matchup with USCA, bringing in the best crowd of the young season.

GCSU wowed the fans with a dominant 25-21, 25-21, 25-18 effort, just the second time the Bobcats have ever swept the Pacers.

"Tonight was a full team effort," said head coach Gretchen Krumdieck. "We stuck to the game plan and had a very balanced offense. Our block did a fantastic job. It was a fun night for Bobcat Volleyball. Our campus and other student-athletes really showed up for our team tonight."

The attack didn't feature anyone in double-digits for kills, but eight different players reached the scoring column. Graduate student Rachel Machovec (Buckhead) led with nine kills, adding eight digs. Junior Mary Kate Kotzin (Dunwoody) flanked her with seven kills, while sophomore Ally Hall (Cumming) added six.

Senior Emily Long (Mooresville, North Carolina) and freshman Riese Johnson (Cumming) once again split the setting duties, Johnson getting 13 assists to Long's 18. The senior posted her fourth double-double of the year, adding 10 digs. Freshman Alanis Bernis (Auburn) was the team leader in that category with 19. The block was very active, wit 11.5 total blocks. Kotzin led with seven, with junior Callie Miller (Acworth) adding five.

The block numbers for Kotzin today give the junior 145 in her career, passing both Ashley Savransky (2016) and Blake Willoughby (2016) for seventh in school history. Up next is Emily Crowell (2019) in sixth with 146.

Hall now has 444 career kills at GCSU, tying Maggie Roper (2016) for ninth in the school recordbooks. Up next for Hall is Crowell with 555 in eighth.  

The Bobcats are back in action Friday, Sept. 16 at 5 p.m., traveling to Young Harris College.

As a proud recipient 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 embodies the mantra of "Graduating Champions for Life." Sign up at @GCBobcats on all social media outlets for up-to-the-minute reports.