Milledgeville, Ga. – Rollins went undefeated at the Bobcat Classic after notching two more wins on Saturday, beating Emory & Henry (25-21, 25-14, 25-16) before taking down the host Georgia College (15-25, 25-21, 25-18, 25-21).
The morning started with a close first set, the Wasps staying even before pulling ahead and forcing Rollins to take a timeout. The Tars responded with a 9-2 run, capped by two kills and two aces from Rylee Yarborough to close the opener. The Tars hit over .300 in the second set to take control, not looking back. An early lead kept Rollins rolling through the third, finishing off the sweep.
A balanced attack from the Blue and Gold earned the victory as Cameron Grange, Marta Tsaneva, and Yarborough all earned double-digit kills in the contest. Yarborough also continued her impressive opening weekend for the Tars by tacking on six aces and 15 digs to her stat line. Setters Jenna Garza and Molly Morris helped guide the attack, both posting over 15 assists in the match. Willow Barron was a key piece on the defensive side of the ball, leading the team in assisted blocks. As a team, the Tars hit .287 in the match, winning the stat sheet battle in aces, blocks, and digs.
The second contest saw the home GCSU start hot, taking the early advantage and staying aggressive to win the first set. The Bobcats found some more momentum to begin the second, with Rollins forced to call an early timeout. The Tars used the break to shift the momentum, tying up the score at 12-12 before retaking the lead and holding on to tie up the overall tally. A back-and-forth battle is how the third started, with Rollins gaining momentum around the 12-12 mark yet again, stringing together three consecutive kills to take the advantage. A dominant start from the Bobcats in the fourth set had the Tars playing from behind until a dominant solo block from Vivian Scuteri tied it up at 19-19. Several huge plays from Tsaneva, including three kills and a block, helped close out the set and give Rollins an undefeated weekend in Georgia.
Offensively, Tsaneva led with a collegiate career-best 18 kills, while Makayla Moran and Elena Arnold each earned double-digit performances of their own. Tawnee Shaw provided support in the serving category for the Tars, coming off the bench and earning two aces in the contest. Defensively, Moran led the way at the net with four block assists and two solos, while Grange anchored the back row with 20 digs.
The Tars move to 4-0 and will return to action in the Ice Block Challenge hosted by the University of Alaska Fairbanks next week. The Tars' first game in that tournament will be at 11 AM (AST) on Thursday, September 11, against the University of Alaska Anchorage.
