The dramatic 39-31 triple-overtime victory on Saturday over the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Mocs provided Georgia Southern University with a positive conclusion to a week filled with tragedy.

To start the week, GSU was shaken by the death of Elizabeth Volker, a member of the football training staff. Both teams wore helmet decals with Volker’s initials in honor of the freshman, who passed away on Monday.

“We’ve had a tough week with the loss of Elizabeth, which took a big toll on us emotionally. I’m really proud of the way our guys handled that, the way they handled the entire trip and to be able to gut it out, winning the game like that,” head coach Jeff Monken said.

During the trip to Chattanooga, the team stopped in the Atlanta area to be with the Volker family and pay their respects to Elizabeth.

Volker was found in her dorm in University Villas last week with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

With all those emotions accompanying the playoff implications of the game on Saturday, the contest against the Mocs could well be considered one of the most important wins of the season for the Eagles.