STATESBORO, Ga. – The Bulldogs went to five sets in both matches on Friday, defeating Charleston Southern 3-2 before falling to Georgia Southern by the same score at the Bash in the 'Boro.
"I thought the team rebounded well tonight," said head coach
Craig Mosqueda. "We came out flat yesterday and dropped a match that we should have been more competitive in. We played extremely well in sets one, three and five against CSU and we definitely came to battle when we played Georgia Southern."
Outside hitter
Moriah Smith and setter
Logan Smith were named to the all-tournament team for the second straight week. Moriah led the Bulldogs with 80 kills, hitting .255 in the four matches. She also had six service aces and 50 digs. Logan had 141 assists with 37 digs and four total blocks defensively.
In the victory over Georgia Southern, The Citadel traded sets with the Buccaneers in the tight contest: 25-23, 13-25, 25-20, 22-25 and 15-13.
Moriah Smith closed out the match with her 29th kill. The junior recorded six kills in the deciding set, adding 21 digs for her fifth double-double of the season and second 20-20 match in 2016.
In the deciding fifth set, the Bulldogs held a 10-6 lead before Charleston Southern answered with three straight points to cut the lead down to one. The teams traded points until Smith closed it out with her 29th kill on the first match point for the Bulldogs.
Outside hitter
Carla Bruce finished with 14 kills and a team-high .314 hitting percentage. Setter
Logan Smith led the match with 37 assists, adding 14 digs defensively. Libero
Samantha Espy recorded 20 digs for the fourth time in seven matches.
The Bulldogs took a close first set 25-23 over Charleston Southern, led by four kills by Bruce, who hit a perfect 1.000 for the set. In a back-and-forth opening set, the Bulldogs took a 16-15 and would never relinquish it. With the score 24-23, Bruce closed the set with her fourth kill.
The Buccaneers were dominant in set two, hitting .229 while holding the Bulldogs to -.125 to take the set 25-13 and tie the match at 1-1.
The Bulldogs responded with a much stronger set three, hitting .326 to take it 25-20. Smith finished with eight kills including the set winner.
In set four, the Buccaneers held off a late rally by the Bulldogs to take the set 25-22 and send the match to a deciding set. The Citadel trailed 22-16 late in the fourth, but responded with four out of the next five points to cut the deficit down to three. The teams traded points before Charleston Southern eventually closed out the set.
Just a few hours later, the Bulldogs were stuck in another back-and-forth battle against host Georgia Southern. The Citadel opened the match with a first set win, defeating the Eagles 25-22. Right side hitter
Megan Sowell finished with five kills and a .417 hitting percentage to lead the Bulldogs.
In sets two and three, Georgia Southern grabbed consecutive 25-22 set wins over The Citadel. The Bulldogs answered with a 25-23 fourth set victory, coming back from a 23-21 deficit to keep the match going. Espy closed the set with a service ace, one of 12 total in the tournament for the senior.
The Bulldogs looked to finish with a second five-set victory on the evening, but the Eagles proved to be a tough test in the final set. With the score tied 9-9, the Eagles earned the final six points to take the match.
Smith recorded her sixth double-double of the season with 23 kills and 15 digs. Bruce finished second with 17 kills and middle hitter
Dominique Williams had seven kills, a .500 hitting percentage and three block assists.
Logan Smith added another 53 assists to her tournament total and Espy had 24 digs and six service aces.
"I am very proud of the growth we've had this weekend and we are excited to get back in the gym to get better," said Mosqueda.
The Bulldogs finish the weekend with a 4-3 record. They will next be at the Fullerton Classic in Fullerton, California for four more matches.
For more information on The Citadel volleyball follow @CitadelVB or visit CitadelSports.com.
