ROCK HILL, SC – Brianna Gray and Keaupono Fey each tallied 20 kills Monday as the Winthrop volleyball team won a thrilling five-set match over the Georgia Southern Eagles.

Winthrop (3-4) led through the majority of the first set, but had to battle Georgia Southern for every point.  Winthrop led by as much as five at 14-9 but Georgia Southern fought back to tie the set at 16-16.  Winthrop was able to regain a slim two-point lead and were able to hold on for the 25-22 victory.

Georgia Southern (4-4) jumped out to a big lead in the second set, leading by as much as nine at 15-6.  Winthrop then went on a big run to cut the lead to three at 15-12 and eventually fought back to tie the set at 18-18.  Following a Georgia Southern timeout, Winthrop was still able to take the next four points, going up 22-18. 

The set was far from over as Georgia Southern battled back to get within one at 23-22 and then closed the set on a 4-1 run, to take the set 26-24.

The two sides battled back and forth in the third set with neither side able to amass more than a three-point edge.  With the set tied at 20-20, Winthrop was able to take five of the next seven points to win the third set 25-22.

Georgia Southern had another strong start to the fourth set, opening a seven-point edge at 15-8.  Winthrop fought back to get within three at 17-14.  Georgia Southern then increased its lead to 24-17 but Winthrop battled back for the next four points but the lead was too much as they fell 25-21.

Winthrop was the side able to get out to a big lead in the fifth set, 6-2, forcing a Georgia Southern timeout.  Georgia Southern then slowly chipped away at the Winthrop lead and was able to tie the set at 13-13.  The two teams then went back and forth, far past the typical 15 points for a victory as Winthrop was finally able to outlast Georgia Southern 20-18.

Brianna Gray and Keaupono Fey each tallied career highs in kills with 21 and 20 respectively.  Sammie-Jo Ah-Hong added 10 kills in the victory.  Kelsey Schroll led the team with six blocks.  Carlie Skelton recorded a game-high 15 digs while Siani Yamaguchi finished with 61 assists.

Winthrop will return to action on the road this weekend as it heads to Maryland to participate in a tournament at University of Maryland-Baltimore County.  The Eagles will face Robert Morris, Morgan State and the host Retrievers over the two-day tournament.