Like Columbus State Athletics on Facebook!
Tweet #GoCSU

By: Josh Fuller

SAVANNAH, Ga. – The Columbus State University volleyball team recorded one of the program's biggest victories Friday night knocking off Armstrong State 3-2 (18-25, 25-14, 25-22, 25-23, 15-13) in Peach Belt Conference play. The match took place inside the Pirate Athletic Center in Savannah.
 
The win is the first for the Lady Cougars in eight tries against Armstrong. The victory also extends CSU's winning streak to four, while the Lady Cougars have now won three straight PBC matches for the first time since the 2014 season.
 
"This was a tremendous win for the girls tonight," said CSU head coach Casey Cornett. "They battled the entire match and had to rally a few times tonight from big deficits, but they executed so well tonight against a very talented Armstrong team.
 
"I feel like we are playing our best ball of the year right now and it's crucial for the stretch run."
 
Four Lady Cougars had double digits kills in the match led by senior Mary McCarty with 13. Zoemy Barreto Pereira and Andrea Skipor had 12, while Megan Frame chipped in 10. McCarty had seven blocks to go along with seven digs. Barreto Pereira recorded a double-double adding 11 digs of her own.
 
Abby King had 44 assists while CSU had 12 aces between six players. Columbus State also had 10 team blocks.
 
After Armstrong (16-5, 6-4) took the third set to take a 2-1 lead, the Pirates looked poised to end the match in four sets. Armstrong took an early 9-5 lead and eventually stretched it to 15-8.
 
CSU (14-8, 5-7) made it 15-11 after three straight points, including two aces from Frame, until the Pirates answered back with two to go in front comfortably at 17-11.
 
However from there, the Columbus State comeback was on. CSU won the next five points to get within one of the Pirates. Armstrong took the next two points before kills from McCarty and Kylie Beaubien, along with an ace from Sabrina Rodgers, tied the score at 19.
 
In a 21-all tie, Columbus State went ahead with a three-point spurt fueled by kills from Frame and Barreto Pereira. King got the final kill in the set to give CSU the 25-23 set win and to force the decisive fifth set.
 
Armstrong once again started fast in the final set going ahead 5-2 early on the Lady Cougars. The Pirates held a 7-4 lead until CSU once again rallied to tie the match at seven-all. Beaubien and McCarty were key as both seniors recorded a kill as well as teaming up for a block.
 
Armstrong tried to put the match away again building up an 11-9 lead after winning five out of seven points. However, Columbus State saved the best rally for its last as the Lady Cougars won the next five points to pull ahead 14-11. Merritt had two aces in the run with Barreto Pereira adding a kill. The Pirates made it 14-13 before another kill from Barreto Pereria ended the match for Columbus State.
 
The match didn't start great for Columbus State as the Pirates started hot. With the tie scored at three, Armstrong went on a 6-1 run to go in front 9-4. Following a timeout, CSU started to chip away at the lead and eventually got the deficit down to 13-11. Four different Lady Cougars recorded kills in the spurt including two from Skipor.
 
From there, Armstrong put the set away winning the next six points to go ahead 19-11. The Pirates eventually took the set 25-18.
 
Set two saw Columbus State put together a big mid-set rally to pull away for the win. In a 6-5 game, the Lady Cougars won nine of the next 11 points to go up 15-7. Four different Lady Cougars chipped in for points. The Lady Cougars won four of the final five points in the set to take it 25-14.
 
Set three was a back-and-forth affair with neither team holding a lead larger than two until the Pirates won the final point to take the set 25-22. CSU was in prime position to take the set after winning three straight points to go ahead 20-18 late. Armstrong tied the match at 20, but the Lady Cougars answered with two points of their own to go up 22-20. However, the Pirates rallied, winning the final five points of the set to go in front 2-1.
 
Up next, the Lady Cougars will take on Flagler on Saturday in St. Augustine. First serve is scheduled for 2 p.m.