PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (Oct. 16, 2024) - Georgian Court Volleyball dropped the opening set on the road at Jefferson, then rallied right back to win each of the next three. The win maintains the Lions lead in the CACC South Division as they improve to 6-1 in the league and 9-7 overall. 

How it Happened
• Georgian Court hit .207 for the match, with three sets at .200 or better and .286 in set three. Jefferson was below .200 at .195 for the match.
• The Lions hit 58 kills while Jefferson landed 50.
• GCU was also a net five on the service line with three more aces than errors and the Rams hit two more errors than aces.
• Jefferson put back more blocks, eight to five.
• The Lions picked up 86 digs. 
Set 1
• After the teams were going back and forth at the outset, Jefferson took command with three straight for a 7-4 lead.
• The Rams never trailed again. GCU got to within one at 8-7, and by scoring four straight to get to 15-14, but couldn't draw back even.
• With Jefferson holding a one-point lead, the Rams finished the set scoring 10 of the final 14 points to take set one, 25-19.
• GCU hit .250 in set one with 15 kills, but six errors. The Rams hit just one error in the frame and had a .333 attack percentage. 
Set 2
• Once again, these teams traded points to start. Neither team had more than a two point lead and early on were deadlocked at seven.
• Tied at seven, Georgian Court scored three straight, getting consecutive service aces from Nylene Mateo to force a Ram timeout.
• Jefferson came back to tie following the timeout, but three straight errors, one block, gave the Lions their three-point lead back, 13-10.
• The lead hovered around there for a bit. A Martina Croce service ace gave them their largest lead, 18-14.
• The Rams responded scoring four straight to tie things back up at 18 and GCU needed to call timeout.
• GCU got two points back on the serve, one error and another Mateo ace to get back on top, 20-18. They never trailed again and a Chelsea Ross kill gave the Lions a 25-19 win.
Set 3
• The Lions got off to a very fast start in set three. They scored the first three points and went up 7-2 as Jefferson needed a timeout.
• Jefferson came out of the timeout on a 7-1 run of their own and took their first lead, 9-8 and it was the Lions who know needed a breather.
• The set stayed close the rest of the way. Neither team gained more than a two-point lead at any point.
• Jefferson maintained the lead until a Ross kill gave the Lions a 21-20 edge.
• GCU got to set point, 24-23, on a Ram attack error, but couldn't close the deal and exta points were needed.
• There were six points scored the rest of the way and four were at the service line. A Jefferson service error and Croce ace put the Lions back up 27-26 and another Ram attack error gave the Lions a 28-26 win.
Set 4
• It was another close start until Georgian Court began to pull away.
• Tied at eight, The Lions scored two and never trailed again.
• Although Jefferson tied things at 12, the Lions went on a 6-1 run to take control, 18-13.
• The Lions were ok trading points the rest of the way as they won the match, 25-20. 

Lion Stat Leaders
• Martina Croce hit .423 for the match with 14 kills, four digs and three aces.
• Nylene Mateo was a kill shy of a double-double with nine kills and 13 digs. She also scored a game-high five service aces. 
• Chelsea Ross hit .600 with 11 kills on 15 swings with four blocks. 
• Iciar Zayas centered the offense with 28 assists and 15 digs.
• Carmen Rivera had a game-high 22 digs.
• Giorgia Cappelletti finished with 14 kills and 17 digs with three service aces. 

For the Rams
• Morgan Ritchie hit a game-best 22 kills with 13 digs.
• Emily McKenna added nine kills and nine digs.
• Kristine Guenther had a 21-assist, 14-dig double-double.
• Cameron Johnson registered 20 digs to lead the Rams.
• Caroline Bond did a bit of everything with 18 assists, 13 digs, four kills, and three blocks. 

News and Notes
• Giorgia Cappelletti scooped up her 500th career dig.
• Dayna Diaz reached 700 career assists. 
• Amiyah Woods put back her 200th career block.
• The win evens up the all-time series with the Rams 21-21.
• This is also the Lions first win over Jefferson in the last five matches dating back to 2021.
• The Lions 86 digs are their most in a four-set match since November of 2016 when they had 92 against Wilmington.

Up Next
• Georgian Court wraps up this road trip Thursday night. After facing off with 2023 CACC Tournament Runners-Up tonight, they'll get the tournament champions, Bridgeport Oct. 18 at 7 pm