STATESBORO, Ga. – The Coastal Carolina volleyball team suffered its first Sun Belt Conference road loss of the season Thursday night, falling to Georgia Southern in four sets (13-25, 12-25, 25-21, 13-25) inside Hanner Fieldhouse. 

With the loss, the Chanticleers dropped into a second-place tie with Georgia Southern in the Sun Belt East Division standings at 8-3. Coastal moves to 16-7 overall, while the Eagles improved to 17-5. 

Georgia Southern controlled the opening set from start to finish, hitting .471 with five blocks to take the frame 25-13. The Eagles carried that momentum into the second, tallying 13 kills and a .364 attack percentage while limiting Coastal to just eight kills to claim a 25-12 win. 

Coastal responded in the third, finding rhythm offensively behind a .333 hitting percentage and a strong serving run from Anzley Rinard. The Chanticleers used a balanced attack from Rinard, Jalyn Stout, and Emily Fowler to pull ahead late and close out the set 25-21. 

The Eagles regrouped in the fourth, however, hitting .353 with 14 kills and just two errors to seal the match 25-13.
 
Rinard led the Chanticleers with 10 kills, 12 digs, and four service aces for her first double-double of the season. Stout added nine kills, 19 assists, and eight digs, while Fowler chipped in eight kills. Libero Bailee Earnhardt anchored the back row with a team-high 18 digs.
 
Reagan Barth led Georgia Southern with 15 kills and 15 digs, while Sam Bowron added 13 kills and three aces. Setter Kirsten Barrett dished out 39 assists to pace the Eagles' attack. 

Coastal Carolina will look to bounce back and earn a series split with Georgia Southern on Saturday. First serve is set for 1 p.m. inside Hanner Fieldhouse. 

For complete coverage of CCU volleyball, follow the Chants on social media @CoastalVBall (X/Instagram), facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook), @GoCCUSports (Instagram), or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at goccusports.com.