Georgia Southern battled back from a 22-15 deficit in the fourth set and erased three match points for a 26-24 set win to force a deciding fifth set. The Volleyball Eagles controlled the final set for a 15-9 victory, edging Southern Conference foe Furman 3-2 (25-20, 21-25, 25-27, 26-24, 15-9) Thursday night in Hanner Fieldhouse. Bethany Sanford led all players with 21 kills as the Eagles remained perfect at home at 10-0 on the year. Georgia Southern improved to 19-7 overall and 10-1 in league play, while Furman dipped to 13-10, 7-4.
    “The fourth set was a huge win for us,” said Head Coach Chad Callihan. “This team has had a never-say-die attitude all season and we’ve really talked about being able to grind when we’re not playing our best volleyball. I thought we displayed that throughout the evening tonight. Towards the end of the match we were able to get some other things going, but I give the team a ton of credit for staying with it and never giving up.”
    Three juniors led the Eagle attack led by Sanford with 21 kills. Parker Small (Charlotte, N.C.) followed with 15 and Hannah Nelson added 14. Sophomore Kate Van Dyke recorded 58 assists and five Eagles posted double-digit dig performances led by Ashley Roe with 22.
    Georgia Southern handled the first frame, taking the set 25-20. Sanford posted six kills and helped keep the Paladins to a .049 hitting percentage. The Eagles led 18-13 after a pair of Sanford kills that forced a Paladin timeout. Furman cut the score to 20-17, but Georgia Southern capped the set on three Paladin attack errors for the win.
    Furman evened the match with a 25-21 second set win. The Paladins took the lead after a 5-5 tie, but the Eagles rallied to knot the set at 13-all. After three ties that followed, the Eagles took a three-point lead at 20-17. Furman closed the frame on an 8-1 run to take the set.
    The third set witnessed 12 ties and four lead changes with the Paladins proving victorious, 27-25. The conference teams kept the set tight to the bitter end. The Eagles held the largest lead of the frame at four points twice early in the set as neither team led by more than two following a 12-12 tie.

Rademacher joins GSU baseball staff
    Bringing professional and collegiate playing experience to Georgia Southern, Matt Rademacher joins the Eagle Baseball staff as a volunteer assistant coach for the 2011 season.
    Rademacher served as the volunteer coach last season at Air Force and played one year of professional baseball prior to becoming a coach.
    Rademacher most recently spent the summer coaching in the Northwoods Collegiate League for the Madison Mallards. As the pitching coach, Rademacher tutored the pitching staff to the second-best ERA in the league, while the team also owned the league’s lowest opponent batting average of .237. Left-handed pitcher Rusty Shellhorn was selected to the Postseason All-Star Team after going 3-3 on the season, tallying a 2.40 ERA and limiting his opponents to a .209 batting average.

Davidson, GSU draw in final game
    The Georgia Southern women’s soccer team wrapped up the 2010 season playing to a 1-1 double-overtime draw against Southern Conference foe Davidson Thursday afternoon at Eagle Field.
    Sara Oland recorded her ninth goal of the season in the contest.
    The final draws for the 2010 Southern Conference Tournament were released Thursday night after all teamsconcluded regular season play. Complete information can be found at www.GeorgiaSouthernEagles.com.

SBCPRD tackle football Bowl games
    The Statesboro-Bulloch County Parks and Recreation Department will host Tackle Football Bowl Games on Saturday, October 30. All games will be played at Mill Creek Park. See www.bullochrec.com
    The schedule for the Minor Tackle football teams are as follows: 9 am—Sea Island Bank Bowl—Baylor Bears vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets; 9 am—RJ’s Steakery Bowl—Virginia Tech Hokies vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers; 9:15 am—Briggs and Stratton Bowl—Colorado Buffalos vs Kentucky Wildcats; 9:30 am—Heritage Bank of the South Bowl—North Carolina TarHeels  vs. Florida State Seminoles; 10:15 am—Mellow Mushroom Bowl—Auburn Tigers vs. Florida Gators; 10:30 am—All-Star Carpet Care Bowl—LSU Tigers  vs. Michigan Wolverines.
    The schedule for the Midget Tackle football teams are as follows: JAMBOREE 10 am—Awards South Bowl—Kansas City Chiefs vs. Indianapolis Colts vs. Green Bay Packers; 10:30 am—Rotary Club of Statesboro—San Diego Chargers vs. Dallas Cowboys.
    See www.bullochrec.com for Bowl Schedules with Field locations.

    If you have a score to report, please call the Statesboro Herald sports desk at (912) 489-9408.