NEED TO KNOW
Score: Life 3, Middle Georgia State 0
Record: Life 7-3 (2-0 SSAC)
MARIETTA, Ga. — The Life University Women's Volleyball team continued its strong start to the season Friday night, sweeping D2 Middle Georgia State 25–10, 25–19, 25–22.
The Running Eagles came out firing in the opening frame, racing ahead 10–3 behind early kills from Erica Irby and Jade Watson and a pair of blocks from Sydney Gonzales. The Running Eagles never let the Knights settle in, with another 6–0 run midway through the set, highlighted by two kills from Mia Garcia. The Running Eagles then cruised through the first frame with a commanding 25–10 win to seize the early advantage.
The second set was more competitive early, as Middle Georgia traded points to stay close, 9–8. Despite the back-and-forth, the Running Eagles eventually pulled ahead 16–10. The Knights made a brief run late, trimming the margin to four, but a pair of kills from Irby closed the door as Life U took the set 25–19 to go ahead 2–0.
In the third, the Knights made their strongest stand, jumping out to a 9–6 lead and forcing a Life U timeout. The Running Eagles regrouped quickly, with Rivera connecting on back-to-back quick sets to Gonzales and Watson to tie it at 11. The teams traded then battled to a tight 18–18 score before the Running Eagles strung together a decisive 4–0 burst capped by an Irby kill and a Jarin service ace. The Running Eagles then closed out the match with a final 25–22 straight-set victory.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
– The Running Eagles finished with 46 kills on .333 hitting, along with 5 aces, 8 team blocks, and 59 total points.
– Middle Georgia was held to 31 kills, .103 hitting, and just 3 total blocks.
– The Running Eagles had four players record at least 8 kills.
STANDOUT PERFORMANCES
– Erica Irby paced the attack with 13 kills while adding 8 digs.
– Gabriela Rivera directed the offense with 25 assists and chipped in an ace and 7 digs.
– Reign Jarin anchored the defense with 21 digs, her third 20-dig outing of the season.
– Jade Watson added 8 kills and 4 block assists, while Sydney Gonzales contributed 3 total blocks.
UP NEXT
The Running Eagles will remain home at home as they host face Brewton-Parker in SSAC play tomorrow, September 13th at 1 pm.
