Sophomore Leah Tenney set two Georgia State records with 12 block assists and 14 total bocks as the Georgia State volleyball team defeated Gardner-Webb 3-1 (30-20, 30-24, 29-31, 30-19) in their final match of the McAlister's Deli/Seahawk Invitational hosted by UNC Wilmington.
"We've been talking specifically about playing Georgia State volleyball, and that all starts by blocking balls," said head coach Mike Webster. "This group that we have is doing the best job of that in my three years here, and Leah really accentuated it tonight."
The Panthers took control of the first game early, opening up a 14-7 lead and never looking back against the Bulldogs. Tenney had five of her blocks in the opening game, with one solo and four assisted.
The second game saw State let GWU hang around for most of the frame, leading just 24-21 before Coach Webster asked for time. After the timeout, the Panthers got back-to-back kills from Tenney and sophomore Liz Schaab to push the lead back to five, 26-21. After the teams traded service errors, State got to game point at 29-23 after a Tenney kill and a service ace off the arm of senior libero Christen Garcia. GWU saved one game point, but a kill by sophomore Michelle Trimble sealed the game 30-24.
Off the intermission, Gardner-Webb was the aggresors, opening up a nine-point lead at 19-10. Undaunted, State would battle all the way back thanks to a 12-3 run to tie the score at 22-all. After GWU regained the lead, the Panthers stormed back with four consecutive points thanks to a service error and three Bulldog attack errors (including one on a block) to make it 26-23 in favor of State. But Gardner-Webb would come back to tie the score at 28-all, and even take the lead at 29-28. A kill by junior Marissa Levasseur enabled the Panthers to fight off one game point, but the Bulldogs would win the next two to extend the match another game.
The final game saw a determined Panthers team take control from the outset and never really look back. State never let GWU lead in the game, with the only tie score coming at 1-all. The Panthers hit a season-best .394 in the final game with 16 kills and just three errors in 33 atttempts. GWU had 10 kills and 10 errors in the frame.
Up 22-18, the Panthers put their foot on the accelerator to close out the Bulldogs. A kill by junior Amy Lusk, a block by Tenney and Lusk, and an attack error by GWU made it 25-18 and the Bulldogs asked for time. GWU got the point off the timeout, but the Panthers got the last five. Lusk's 14th and final kill of the match made it 26-19. A block by Tenney and freshman Noelle Boyd tacked on another point, and Tenney's record-breaking assisted block with Levasseur made it 28-19. A GWU attack error gave State match point, and Levasseur closed the match out with her seventh kill of the match, giving the Panthers the 30-19 win.
State's 34 block assists was also a school record, as State outblocked the Bulldogs 19.0-5.0. State has now matched or topped their opponents in blocking in the last seven matches.
Lusk and freshman Jocelyn Waldern were both named to the all-tournament team. Lusk had double-doubles in all three matches, while Waldern set a career high in the final match with 10 kills. Schaab also had 10 kills, as the Panthers had four players with a double-digit kill total.
Garcia notched 23 digs in the four-game affair, giving her 1,381 career digs. The Valrico, Fla. native now needs just four digs to pass Kumiko Ishiyama for the Georgia State career mark.
Winners of three of their last four matches, the Panthers will have one of their toughest road trips of the season next weekend as they take on Towson in Baltimore, Md., Friday evening at 7:00 p.m., then Delaware in Newark, Del. Saturday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. Towson currently sits at 2-1 in the CAA, while Delaware is at 3-1.
