MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. | The Georgia College & State University women's volleyball team opened up their 2024 season with two five-set thrillers on the opening day of the Bobcat Classic Friday (Sept. 6) at the Centennial Center.

The Bobcats dropped the first two sets to Southern Wesleyan University 27-25 and 25-21 before taking the final three sets by scores of 25-18, 26-24 and 15-13 to open the tournament. GCSU split its first two sets with Albany State University with the Golden Rams taking the opening set 25-21 before Georgia College evened the contest at 1 with a 25-18 decision in set two.  ASU reclaimed the lead with a 25-21 win in set three, but the Bobcats recorded the win with 26-24 and 15-12 results in the final two sets.

GCSU improved to 2-0 and they will close the Classic out with two matches Saturday (Sept. 7). GCSU will face Lee University at 2 p.m. and Young Harris College at 7 p.m.

Sarah Pipping had 24 kills and hit .346 on 52 swings, while Rosa Fisher posted 15 more kills in the Southern Wesleyan. Riese Johnson collected 33 assists, while Sadie Parkerson (18) and Alanis Bernis (12) also finished in double figures. Bernis tallied 26 digs, while Pipping and Johnson had 14 each.  Parkerson also added 10. Nya Warren had seven total blocks for the Bobcats, while Hayley Shepherd had four. Shepherd and Pipping each registered three service aces.

Fisher led GCSU against Albany State with 19 kills, while Warren and Camryn Carlton had 10 apiece. Johnson led the Bobcats with 26 assists and 19 digs. Parkerson added 17 assists, while Bernis had 14 digs and Ella Harper collected 13. Warren posted five total blocks.

About GCSU Athletics 
Owning the top Academic Success Rate among all public colleges and universities in Division II for three consecutive academic years, the Georgia College Department of Athletics sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. GCSU Athletics has won four consecutive Presidents' Awards for Academic Excellence, and are two-time winners of the PBC Commissioner's Cup and four-time winners of the PBC Institution of the Year Sportsmanship Award. As a Division II program, Bobcat Athletics prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the teams' continued appearances in postseason 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 @GCSUBobcats on all social media outlets for up-to-the-minute reports or subscribe to the GSCU Athletics e-newsletter to receive the latest news, schedule updates and to interact with GCSU Athletics. 



  Read Full Article