CHARLESTON, S.C. - Charleston Southern and city rival The Citadel battled through five sets of intense volleyball Tuesday, Aug. 31. The host Lady Bucs prevailed in five sets (25-20, 25-23, 19-25, 19-25, 15-9) in front of 503 fans at CSU Field House. Seniors Amanda Hill and Tricia Rodl set the tone, each eclipsing career milestones along the way.

Hill registered 26 kills and added 19 digs. With her fourth kill Tuesday, she became the second Lady Buccaneer to record 1,400 career kills in program history. Rodl added a career-high 29 digs, giving her 1,007 for her career. The senior libero is the 7th CSU volleyball player with 1,000 or more digs.

The Lady Bucs won the home opener for the 5th year in a row, and defeated The Citadel for the fourth straight time.

CSU (2-3) won the first two sets going into intermission. The Bulldogs (0-4) bounced back by claiming sets three and four.

The Lady Bucs took charge early in set five, and were aided by a boisterous crowd as the victory drew nearer. Hill and Cori Holeman recorded early kills for a 5-3 CSU lead. The Citadel tied the set at 6-6, but an Amberle Trinder kill broke the tie. Three CSU points in the next four rallies led to a Citadel timeout. The Lady Bucs kept up the intensity for the balance of the match. Leading 12-9, CSU received a pair of combination blocks from Holeman and Andrea Keesee sandwiched around an Emily Libertowski kill for a 15-9 win and 3-2 match victory.

Both teams fought to the end on every point, leading to a season-high 84 digs for the Lady Bucs and 91 digs for The Citadel. Rodl and Hill were joined by Libertowski (12) with double figures in digs. Holeman led the Lady Bucs with four total blocks.

Amy Nokes posted 49 assists on the evening and also recorded nine digs.

Three Bulldogs posted 20 or more digs, led by Tatum Jestila, who also sent down 18 kills.

The Bulldogs opened the match with early momentum, staging a seven-point rally to take a 10-5 lead in set one. CSU reclaimed the lead at 15-14 after a 3-0 run featuring two kills from Hill. Holeman and Kayla Klinger pounded three kills apiece over the team's final 10 points of set one, which CSU won, 25-20.

CSU took a quick 3-1 lead on three kills by Hill in set two. The Citadel took a 7-6 lead after a four-point rally, with Jestila drilling two winners. CSU broke back into the lead until a late Citadel rally gave the visitors a 20-18 advantage. Kills by Klinger, Trinder and Hill staked CSU to a 24-21 lead. After Hill and Trinder teamed up for a block, the Lady Bucs clinched the match, 25-23 to take a commanding 2-0 lead into intermission.

The Citadel emerged from the locker room with purpose, leading set three from wire to wire while holding the Lady Bucs to a .077 attack percentage. The Bulldogs kept many points alive with digs and blocks, and found swinging room to the tune of 14 kills at a .286 rate. When set three ended, The Citadel was back in the match with a 25-19 victory.

Set four produced the same score as set three, as the Lady Bucs continued to see their attacks answered by the relentless Citadel defense. CSU showed signs of what was to come in the final set by building late momentum in set four. A 25-19 Citadel win sent the match into the deciding set, which CSU captured, 15-9.

The Lady Bucs next play host to UNC-Wilmington Tuesday, Sept. 7 at 6 p.m.

Head Coach Danyell Bellush:
On the fan support: "Our fans were fantastic. We don't want to let them down. When they started to get up, I think we responded to that."
On the final sets of the match: "Citadel came out of the locker room ready to win. We really had to make some major adjustments to hold them off. But we found a way to win, and I'm excited about that."
"They really did a good job to make an adjustment on Amanda after the third set. Other players stepped up. Emily Libertowski did great, both of our middles worked very hard. That's what we're going to see the rest of the year, that kind of competition, so it was great."