ATLANTA--Sophomores Liz Schaab and Leah Tenney combined for 20 kills and nine total blocks as the Georgia State volleyball team swept the Patriots of George Mason 3-0 (30-26, 30-25, 30-25) Friday night at the Sports Arena.
"Liz and Leah have really started to perform to the level I expected them to be at when they came in to our program," said Georgia State head coach Mike Webster. "I'm looking forward to seeing how they develop as their careers continue at Georgia State."
The Panthers trailed 7-2 in the first game to George Mason before a timeout by Coach Webster to settle the team down. State responded by coming back to tie the score at 16-all, taking the lead one point later on a Schaab kill. The teams traded the lead one more time in the game, as Mason led 22-21 before the Panthers took the lead for good with a 3-0 spurt. Leading 28-26, the Panthers closed the game out on back-to-back kills by Tenney to win the first frame 30-26.
Game two was almost the opposite of game one, as this time the Panthers opened up the big early lead at 9-1 before Mason came back to take a 19-18 lead. Trailing for the first time in the game since 1-0, the Panthers responded with a 7-0 run to open up a 25-19 lead, capping the run with a Tenney kill. After the run, the lead would only get to as low as four in the second game, as a service error by the Patriots (3-13, 2-9 CAA) gave State a 30-25 win.
The first half of the final game was almost dead even as the Patriots led 14-13 before the Panthers broke the final game open. An 8-0 run fueled by three Tenney kills and two kills by Michelle Trimble enabled State to take control. The Panthers opened up a 27-20 lead before Mason came back with a 4-0 run to force Coach Webster to ask for time. Off the timeout, two kills by Amy Lusk gave State match point. A service error extended the match, but a kill by Tenney ended game three 30-25 and the match 3-0.
Freshman Noelle Boyd continued her exceptional play with 42 assists and 12 digs for her second consecutive double-double. Boyd now has 100 digs on the season, the sixth Panther to reach that total this season. The team leader in digs, senior Christen Garcia, had 16 digs to have a double-digit dig total for the 22nd match this year. Lusk had another double-double for her fourth consecutive double-double and 14th of the season.
Jaqueline Kohler had a match-high 15 kills for George Mason. The Patriots were topped in every major statistical category by the Panthers, as State had more kills (49-36), digs (68-50), aces (9-3), and blocks (9-6).
Now 4-8 on the year in CAA play, the Panthers return to action Sunday against James Madison. Match time at the Sports Arena is set for 2:00 p.m.
