The Georgia Southern volleyball team (17-8, 7-3) got back on track this weekend, winning two matches against the Appalachian State Mountaineers (9-15, 5-5) and the Western Carolina Catamounts (3-21, 0-10) without dropping a game. These wins were especially needed following two losses in previous SoCon play.

“We had some injuries, and just didn’t seem to play well as a group the past two games,” said head Coach Chad Callihan. “These games were huge for us. We have to play well from here on out, and we can’t afford any slip ups from here on out.”

GSU wouldn’t slip up this weekend, sweeping both in conference opponents. App. State and GSU battled on the same afternoon, as did the football teams, only at opposite sites on Saturday.

Callihan held a personal stake in the game, as he was a former coach at Appalachian State. He was wildly successful in his time there leading the Mountaineers to a bevy of 20 win seasons and tournament victories.

The game was also personal for Eagles middle hitter Parker Small. The 6’2’’ sophomore comes from Charlotte, N.C. and faced off against former teammate Lauren Swecker.

“A lot of my friends go there, and of course Lauren,” said Small. “There was definitely some extra motivation for me personally. I wanted to show them that I chose the right school.”

The first game looked to be a precursor to a hard-fought match between two good teams. App. State managed to keep pace with GSU throughout the match, with the help of some gratuitous points from the home side.

The Eagles managed to stop the mistakes and play lock-down defense in building a small lead that would culminate into a Lauren Claybaugh kill for a 25-22 game 1 win.

The second game saw GSU find their stride and begin sharp play volleyball. Ironically, Small played big at the net, shutting down the Mountaineers attack.

App. State was in the giving spirit this game, committing error after error, digging themselves into an insurmountable effort that was closed by yet another Claybaugh kill.

Emerging from half, the Eagles superb setting and defense would wear on their opponents, and they would pull away with the help of yet more Mountaineer errors. The closer, Claybaugh finish the match with an emphatic kill for the victory.

Not far from App. State, the Catamounts rolled into town during the weekend as well. The Catamounts have struggled this season, looking up from the bottom of the SoCon under new coach Manuel Concepcion. Combined with a few crippling injuries, the Catamounts limped into Statesboro a bit short-handed.

Despite their record, WCU came out giving their best effort, ambushing a GSU team that may have been a little flat.

“The starters were a little flat today,” said Callihan. “We were able to get some other players to play well for us and bring energy, though.”

The Catamounts would claw their way to a tie at 15 points each, helped tremendously by some GSU errors. A timeout to regroup, along with a little personnel shuffling, saw the Eagles regain their footing and manufacture a four point 25-21 victory.

Claybaugh contributed one of her match high 11 kills for the final dagger.

The second game began with the undermanned Catamounts again battling GSU through the early points of the match. It seemed as if GSU may have caught fire, coming out and winning the first four points, but faltered and gave up four straight back to WCU.

A balanced effort orchestrated by the assists from freshman Kate Van Dyke prevented the Catamounts winning in the late stages of the game. Much like the first game, GSU would pull out a too close for comfort 25-21 victory, moving them one game from a perfect weekend.

Freshman Danielle Graham would hammer the nail in the coffin before half.

The declawed Catamounts showed a lot of heart, picking themselves off the deck and putting up a valiant fight. They held on as long as they could, closing the gap at 12-11.

WCU would not have the steam to keep their upset bid going with GSU taking the final game 25-17.

“It’s good to see what some of these players can do,” said Callihan. “Sometimes they don’t get to play much, but it’s nice to give them an opportunity to prove themselves.”

A showdown with Furman (18-3, 10-0) looms in the distance. The game will be important as both teams are together near the top of the SoCon standings. That game will be at Hanner Fieldhouse on Friday, Oct. 30.