Wearing pink jerseys, the Georgia State University volleyball earned a five-set victory over the UNC Wilmington Seahawks on Saturday afternoon at the Georgia State Sports Arena. The Panthers (3-21, 2-8 CAA) were led by sophomore Ashley Jones' fourth triple-double of the season, while the Seahawks fell to 6-18 and 0-10 in the CAA.
The team hosted annual “Swing for the Cure” on Saturday as the team will look to raise funds and awareness of breast cancer. Over the last two weeks, the team raised over $500 with more to come in through pledges based on the number of kills the team accumulated today. Throughout the match, fans were able to purchase pink Powerade from the concession stand, with all proceeds going to Making Strides Against Breast Cancer and the American Cancer Society.
“We kept giving ourselves chances today,” commented Head Coach Mike Webster. “We made too many mistakes in sets three and four, but UNCW also did a great job to force it to five sets. It is a great win, I just wish we could have taken care of things and won in three.”
The Panthers controlled the first set from the beginning and never looked back. On the serve of freshman Chelsea Perry, the Panthers took an early 5-0 led, capped by a kill by sophomore Rachel Boryc. The Seahawks would cut the deficit to three on several occasions, but never get any closer. Sophomore Ashley Jones and senior Liz Schaab would combine for eight kills on just 12 attacks with no errors in the set, as the Panthers took the first, 25-22.
The two teams would exchange points early in the second set and the Seahawks would take their first lead of the match at 4-3 on a kill by Paula McConnell. The Panthers would use a 10-2 run, capped back a Seahawk attack error to take a 21-12 lead, but UNCW's frontline attack would get the Seahawks back in the set. The Seahawks would then go on a 13-3 run to earn a set point at 25-24, but the Panthers would not be denied. On a kill by Jones and ace by sophomore Alysa Long, State earned their first set point of the second set. The two teams would continue to exchange points, as neither could capitalize on their set point chances. Freshman Torrie Brown finally put the set away for the Panthers with an ace, earning State a 31-29 second set win.
“The offensive play by Ashley (Jones) was just great today,” stated Webster after the match. “She picked up her fourth triple-double of the season, while Liz (Schaab) played great on the outside, earning some key blocks and kills.”
The Seahawks would rebound strong in the third and fourth sets, using a balanced offensive attack and scoring key runs on Panther errors. UNCW would take the third set rather easily, 25-17, but the two teams would battle hard in the fourth, before the Seahawks took it 25-23.
The Seahawks momentum would continue into the fifth set, but the Panthers would be the ones earning the final point. After the two teams exchanged points early, with a total of 10 ties in the set, a service ace by McConnell put the Seahawks up 11-8. With a kill by Muki Kangwa, followed by an ace by the freshman, the Panthers cut the deficit to one. Schaab would tie the match with another kill, but the Seahawks would retake the lead when the senior hit a ball into the net. The Panthers would take over from there and highlighted by a kill by Long, the Panthers earned the fifth set, 15-12.
Jones finished the match with 18 kills, 28 assists and 16 digs, while Schaab scored 19 kills. Freshman Chelsea Perry finished the match with 26 assists while redshirt-sophomore Audrey Cantrell had a team-high 25 digs.
McConnell led the Seahawks with 17 kills, while Jacqueline Crane scored 29 assists. Ashlyn Morris finished the match with a team high 25 digs.
Georgia State will continue its home-stand next Friday night as the Panthers take on the College of William & Mary at 5:30 p.m. It will also be Senior Night as Liz Schaab and Michelle Trimble will be honored for their achievements both on and off the court. Admission to the Sports Arena is free of charge.
