GREENWOOD – The Lander volleyball team fell behind 2-0 to Georgia College, but the Bearcats rallied back for a 3-2 victory in a Peach Belt Conference match at Finis Horne Arena on Saturday afternoon. 

Kyra Ross led the Bearcats (15-6, 4-1 PBC) with 24 kills and added 10 digs. Maya Walker posted a career-high 19 kills, while Reilly Kuenstler finished with 13 kills and six digs, and Deonna Mims posted 13 kills and five digs.

Walker's 13 kills came on 37 swings for a .351 hitting percentage.

Madilyn Reed set career-highs with 64 assists and 23 digs. Hannah McManus recorded 37 digs, while Boo Luther added 18 and Corey Nichols chipped in 12. 

"You just felt that energy kind of shift in the third set," said head coach Ashley White. "We took control, we took ownership. We had practiced this all week long, we were ready for the pressure situation and we handled it well. I'm so proud of this outcome."

Trailing 2-0 in the match, Lander used an early 3-0 run to build a lead it would not relinquish and won the third set 25-19. In the fourth set, a pair of kills from Walker highlighted a 5-0 spurt that pushed the Bearcats' lead to 18-8 as Lander cruised to a 25-15 win to force a fifth set. 

The Bearcats wasted no time completing the comeback, jumping up 9-3 in the fifth and using four combined kills in the final four points from Mims and Walker to punctuate the victory. 

The crowd of 379 was the eighth-largest home crowd in program history. 

The Bearcats will have a chance to extend their winning streak when they host USC Aiken in Horne Arena on Thursday, Oct. 24 at 7:00 p.m. The match will be steamed live on the Bearcat Broadcasting Network.

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