MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. - Georgia College defeated Lander 3-1 Friday night in Peach Belt women's volleyball action.
After Lander scored the first three points of the match, Georgia College would answer with three straight points to tie the game. The team would battle back and forth, with neither team getting more than two points ahead. Training 14-12, the Bearcats would get back-to-back kills from Christina Aguayo to tie the game. The Bobcats responded with a 4-0 run to get their largest lead of the set. A service error by Georgia College stopped the run, and Aguayo would run off three straight service aces to tie the game at 18. The Bobcats then went on a 7-1 run to end the set and take the 25-19 victory.
The second set started the same as the first, with both teams battling back and forth. With Lander leading 7-6, the Bearcats would get another kill from Aguayo and then a block from Daria De Carvalho Peixe and Olivia Dow, followed by an attack error from the home team to take a 10-6 lead. Later in the set, Georgia College would regain the lead 18-17, but a kill from Aguayo and two kills from Maya Walker gave the Bearcats a 28-18 lead. Lander held that lead the rest of the way and took set number two 25-22.
Trailing 17-16 in the third set, Madilyn Reed set up De Carvalho Peixe for a kill to tie the game up. Maddie Moss then recorded a service ace, and Walker got a kill to make the score 19-17. The Bobcats responded and later took a 23-21 lead in the set. However, a kill by Reed and a block from McCayla Willingham and Dow tied the set at 23. Georgia College broke the serve, scoring the next two points to win 25-23.
The Bobcats opened up the fourth set with four straight points and led throughout the set. Leading 13-10, Georgia College scored six consecutive points to take a commanding 19-10 lead. They increased their lead to 22-11, but the Bearcats would not go down without a fight. Lander outscored the Bobcats 6-1 to make it a 23-17 score. Lander continued to chip away, getting to within four points, but Georgia College pulled away and won the set 25-20 and the match.
Aguayo led all players with 19 kills and three assists while also recording ten digs. Reed had a game-high 42 assists and 11 digs, and Patricia Pantoja had 15 digs to lead the Bearcats. De Carvalho Peixe had four blocks, while Willingham and Down each had three.
