CHARLESTON, S.C. - The Buccaneer volleyball program completed its third straight weekend of non-conference tournament play this weekend in the Eagle Invitational at Georgia Southern University.
Friday morning the Holy City's high flyers suited up to take on a team they have already defeated once this season, the Furman Paladins. The first set of this rematch was one of the Bucs' best performances all weekend. CSU won the set in quick fashion posting a set score of 25-14.
Although the initial energy on the court would lead Buc fans to believe the match would be over shortly, Furman gained some ground in set number two. The second set was fought very evenly, and each point seemed to alternate between the re-matching squads. Furman would eventually pull out the second set victory by a score of 25-21.
The third set resembled its predecessor, although this time, the Bucs would reach the 25-point mark first (25-21). In the next set, CSU had the opportunity to close the door and once again be victorious over the team from Travelers Rest. They would not capitalize though as another grueling set would lean in favor of the Paladins (25-21).
After 177 total points had been scored, it all came down to a fifth set finish. CSU took an early lead, and although Furman made a push to close the gap, CSU took home the hard fought victory 15-11.
The winning performance was put together by a plethora of Buccaneers. Skylar Yates led the way in kills (17) while also recording 9 digs. Faith Burch had a nice performance posting 14 kills and a .333 attack percentage. Carry Brown's libero duo of Julia Fledderjohn and Presley Morris combined for 22 digs and 6 assists. Captain Emily Struckmeyer, who had a great performance against Furman in their initial meeting, posted an impressive 9 kills, 4 blocks, and a .400 attack percentage in the rematch. Ilaria Durante and Tristin Sutton, the setters on this year's squad, combined for 50 assists, and Brenna Rowland, the sophomore from Scottsdale, AZ, had a phenomenal match at the middle blocker spot tallying 8 kills, 9 blocks, and a .467 attack percentage.
The main event on Friday's Eagle Invitational card was a match up between the Buccaneers of Charleston Southern and the hosting Eagles of Georgia Southern.
Hanner Fieldhouse is where over 700 people chose to spend their Friday night watching the Bucs take on the Eagles. The 6-1 overall Eagles continued their success through the weekend, and although the Bucs would lose in three sets, a few Buccaneers still put up some stats to add to their season totals. Skylar Yates collected 36 kills over the weekend, 9 of them were recorded in the Georgia Southern match. Brenna Rowland who had success both attacking and blocking, posted 7 kills on only 12 attack attempts.
The Bucs returned to Hanner Fieldhouse Saturday morning for a contest against the Aggies of North Carolina A&T. Junior, Skylar Yates added 10 kills to her weekend total, as well as 7 digs. Savannah Freeman notched a .364 attack percentage and added 6 kills of her own to the Buccaneer box score. CSU would fall prematurely to the Aggies of Greensboro losing in three sets.
The Bucs are insanely energized to be hosting a tournament of their own next weekend at Buccaneer Fieldhouse. The 2024 Buc Dome Invitational presented by O'Charley's will take place this upcoming Friday and Saturday on the home turf of Carry Brown's volleyball club. The Bucs will host and face off against Western Illinois, Sacred Heart, and Norfolk State next weekend, and the team is incredibly fired up to play in front of Buc Nation.
Before the excitement next weekend, CSU will travel downtown to compete against the College of Charleston this Tuesday. The match will be played at 6 PM at TD Arena.
