The Georgia State University volleyball earned an impressive three-set victory over Kennesaw State on Tuesday night. Sophomore Ashley Jones led the Panther charge with her seventh double-double of the season, while sophomore Rachel Boryc fell one kill shy of her fifth double-double of the season.
“We came out and took care of business tonight,” commented Head Coach Mike Webster. “I couldn't be prouder of the effort Ashley and Rachel put forth tonight. As a team, we kept our hitting errors down and had seven blocks. Kennesaw came in with a three-match winning streak and some momentum, but we were able to play our game and I am very happy about the result.”
The Panthers (2-21, 1-8 CAA) came out firing used a balanced offensive attack to take down the Owls (5-18, 4-10 A-Sun). State took an early 2-0 lead on a block assist by sophomore Alysa Long and Boryc. After falling behind 5-4, State would never trail again in the set. A block solo by senior Michelle Trimble expanded the Panthers lead to five at 11-6. A 6-0 run late in the set, capped by an attack error by KSU's Sabrita Gulley gave the Panthers their largest lead of the set, 21-12. Although the Owls would cut the deficit to five on two occasions, State had the set out of reach and took the first, 25-19.
The Owls would start the second set strong and take an early 3-1 lead, before kills by Boryc and Long would give the Panthers a 5-4 lead. After trailing by one, State would use a 5-0 run, capped by an attack error by KSU's Callie Churchwell, to go up 11-7. Another kill by Boryc would extend the lead to five at 15-10. Although the Owls would cut the deficit to one at 18-17, the Panther offense would not allow them to take the lead. A pair of kills by Jones expanded the lead back to three and an ace by the sophomore would put the set away, as State took the second 25-21.
The two teams would battle back-and-forth to start the third set. After falling by early, back-to-back kills by freshman Torrie Brown and Boryc would tie the set at five. State would start to take control of the set midway through and never look back. Leading by one at 18-17, the Panthers would go on a 6-0 run that was highlighted by kills from Boryc, Jones and Brown to put the set away, earning the third and final set, 25-18.
Jones finished the match with 10 kills, 11 assists and six digs, while Boryc added nine kills and 12 digs on a .444 hitting percentage. Freshman Chelsea Perry scored a match-high 22 assists, while redshirt sophomore Audrey Cantrell added 11 digs. Senior Michelle Trimble also chipped in with five kills and a .500 attack percentage.
The Owls were led by Chelsey Denesha who scored 13 kills, while Ginny Frederick added 14 assists.
Georgia State will continue its home-stand on Saturday as the Panthers take on UNC-Wilmington. First serve is set for 2:00 p.m. Fans are encouraged to wear pink as the Panthers have declared Saturday “Swing for a Cure” in which the volleyball team will raise both money and awareness for breast cancer during the match. Admission to the Sports Arena is free of charge.
