WATERBURY, Conn. (Nov. 11, 2023) - Georgian Court Volleyball finished up the regular season Saturday afternoon in Connecticut. It was a little anticlimactic for the Lions who knew their place in the CACC Tournament before the game even began. Coming off of an emotional five-set win Wednesday over Chestnut Hill to keep their season alive, Holy Family's loss last night was enough to clinch a playoff spot and the No. 4 seed for the Lions. Georgian Court got out of the gates slow against Post, dropping the first two sets. They rallied to win the next two but ran out of gas dropping the fifth. GCU ends the regular season at 14-12 overall and 8-8 in the CACC.

How it Happened
• Post outhit Georgian Court .175-.135. The Lions hit an uncharacteristic 29 attack errors to 53 kills. Post scored 61 kills with 28 errors.
• The Lions doubled up post in blocking points, 15-7.
• Georgian Court was also a plus-five from the service line. They hit nine aces and nine errors, but Post committed 12 service aces to seven aces.
• Where Georgian Court really lost points was being called for 16 blocking errors.
Set 1 - 24-26
• The first set was a series of runs from both teams. GCU led 10-8 after some back-and-forth at the start.
• Post scored three straight to take the 11-10 lead, but Georgian Court answered with five straight for a 15-11 lead.
• Georgian Court pushed that lead to six, 18-12, but Post had another run in them. Down five, 19-14, Post scored seven unanswered points, helped out by three block errors to go up 21-19.
• The Lions were able to tie at 24, but a service error gave Post the 25-24 lead and they took the set on another blocking error.
Set 2 - 24-26
• Georgian Court let another lead slip away in set two. They scored the first four points and led 10-4 midway through the frame.
• The lead was still six, 19-13, when Post scored four straight, three from Lion miscues. 
• A Nylene Mateo kill gave GCU the ball tied at 24, but back-to-back points on the serve, one Lion error, one Post ace ended the frame again at 26-24.
Set 3 - 27-25
• This time it was Post's turn to give up a lead. The Eagles scored six of the first eight points for an early 6-2 lead.
• Trailing by three, 10-7, GCU flipped the script with six straight points including three blocks for a three-point lead of their own, 13-10.
• Georgian Court pushed the lead to five, 22-17 and seemed to be in control.
• Post though scored five of the next six to get to within one, 23-22. They then reclaimed the lead, 25-24 thanks to three straight points.
• The Lions though weren't about to let what happened in sets one and two happen again. They scored three straight of their own getting a kill and a block from Chelsea Ross to stay alive in the match.
• GCU picked up 10 of their 15 blocks in the third set.
Set 4 - 25-17
• GCU was off and rolling in set four. They raced out to a 15-5 lead and never looked back.
• Georgian Court was doubling up the Eagles 22-11. Post made it closer getting six of the next seven, but a kill from Nylene Mateo and a Post service error was enough to tie the match at two.
• The Lions hit .270 in the set with 16 kills.
Set 5 - 5-15
• All that work to tie the match at two was quickly washed away in the fifth and final set.
• Post scored the first six points, the first two on service aces.
• Georgian Court could never recover and Post went on to win the set and the match 15-5.

Lion Stat Leaders
• Nylene Mateo finished with a team-best 14 kills.
• Dayna Diaz passed out 45 assists while adding 12 digs.
• Chelsea Ross scored 16 points with 12 kills and seven blocks.
• Martina Croce also added 12 kills with 10 digs.
• Giorgia Cappelletti landed five kills with 24 digs.
• Carmen Rivera scooped 28 digs on defense.

For the Eagles
• Caley Harper had a match-high 26 kills on 68 swings.
• Izabella Rae had a 25-assist, 11-dig double-double.
• Alyssa Groves matched Rivera for a game-high 28 digs.
• Colleen Romero chipped in nine kills.

News and Notes
• Jessica Sprankle played in her 400th career set with the Lions. She also moved into a tie for fifth place all-time at GCU landing her 168th service ace.
• Giorgia Cappelletti picked up her 300th dig this season. Her 24 are a new career-best.
• Dayna Diaz surpassed 400 career assists.
• Carmen Rivera also set a new career high with 28 digs, most by a Lion this season.

Up Next
• Georgian Court by virtue of a tie-breaker earned the number four seed in the CACC South Division. They'll take on the No. 1 seed from the North, Bridgeport in the CACC Tournament Quarterfinals. That game will be held in Bridgeport Tuesday, Nov. 14.