The Georgia State volleyball team fell to Hofstra in four sets on Sunday afternoon. The Panthers (1-19, 1-6 CAA) got off to a great start, winning the first set, before The Pride (9-10, 3-3 CAA) took the next three. State was led by sophomore Ashley Jones who scored her third triple-double of the season.
Georgia State came out strong in the first set and took a 6-1 lead on a kill by Jones. Senior Michelle Trimble would also contribute a pair of kills in the Panthers opening run. The Panthers would continue to expand their lead and go up by seven at 16-9 on back-to-back attack errors by Hofstra. The Pride would use a 4-0 run late in the set to cut the deficit to four, but after a time-out by Head Coach Mike Webster, the Panthers would put away the first set, earning a 25-18 victory.
Hofstra would tie the match up by taking the second set. Just as the Panthers came out hot in the first set, the Pride would come out strong in the second set. After falling behind 2-0, Hofstra used a 7-2 run to take a 7-4 lead. On a kill by Jones and an attack error by Hofstra's Lauren Engle, the Panthers would cut the deficit to five late, but it was not enough as the Pride took the second set 25-17.
The third set would be the most competitive of the first three. Neither team would have more than a one point lead until an attack error by freshman Torrie Brown gave Hofstra a two-point lead at 7-5. After falling behind by four, the Panthers would use a 6-1 run, capped by a kill by Jones, to take an 11-10 lead midway through the set. The Pride would respond and take a 19-15 lead, before the Panthers used another 4-0 run, capped by an ace by redshirt-sophomore Audrey Cantrell, to tie the score at 19. In a set of runs, Hofstra would get the last one, a 4-0 run, to put the set out of reach, taking it 25-21.
The fourth set would prove to be one of the most painful of the season for the Panthers. Hofstra took an early 3-0 lead, but Georgia State would storm back with a 10-1 run, led by three kills by Jones and a pair of kills by Trimble. State would continue to dominate the set with a true team effort, as nearly ever Panther player would earn a kill. The Panthers would expand their lead to 19-11 on a kill by freshman Muki Kangwa. On an attack error by Hofstra's Ashley Legerretta, the Panthers would earn their first set point of the fourth, taking a 24-16 lead.
Unfortunately for State, the Pride would use an 8-0 run to tie the set at 24-24. A service error by Hofstra's Rachel August would give the Panthers another chance to take the set, but a kill by Engle tied the set back up. Brown would then score a kill for the Panthers, as they took a 26-25 led. Engle would once again respond for the Pride. Hofstra would take advantage of their good fortune and put the set away by taking the final two points, winning the set, 28-26, and the match.
Jones now owns three of the four triple-doubles in the CAA this season. The sophomore scored 18 kills, 19 assists and 10 digs in the match. Brown added 11 kills for the Panthers, while freshman Chelsea Perry, playing in just her second match, added a team high 23 assists. Cantrell added a team-high 30 digs.
The Pride were led by Engle and Harmonie Calinda, who each scored 12 kills, while Monica Knight added 11. Chrissey Cruz added a team-high 39 assists, while August had a team-high 22 digs.
The Panthers will head north again next weekend to face Towson and Delaware on Friday and Saturday. State will return home on October 28th to face Kennesaw State at 5:30 p.m.
