Post-Tournament Note: Vineece Verdun was named to the UIC Invitational All-Tournament team after the conclusion of the event. It marked the second weekend in a row that Verdun earned all-tournament team honors.
The Georgia State volleyball concluded the University of Illinois-Chicago Invitational with a three set win over Duquesne on Saturday night, improving to 7-3 on the season. Redshirt sophomore Vineece Verdun led the sweep with 11 kills and a .429 hitting percentage.
"We stepped up in terms of competition this weekend," commented head coach Mike Webster. "We learned a lot about ourselves against the teams we played and I am proud of the way we stuck together as a team and found a way to win the final match of the tournament."
The Panthers took a quick lead early in the first set before Duquesne tied it at 11. However, State used a 14-8 run to take the set 25-19.
Georgia State trailed 20-15 in the second set, but five attack errors by Duquesne allowed the Panthers to use a 10-2 run to win the second set, 25-22.
State trailed by five again in the third set, 17-12, but a kill and pair of back-to-back blocks by Verdun, allowed the Panthers to go on a 13-5 run to win the set, 25-22.
Verdun, who played the last two seasons for Michigan State, led the team in kills for the second straight match, while also leading the team with a career-high five blocks.
Junior Ashley Jones and sophomore Muki Kangwa each scored five kills in the win. Jones scored a team-high 16 assists, while sophomore Chelsea Perry added 13.
Kangwa added four of the 13 Panther service aces, with senior Jocelyn Waldern and redshirt-junior Audrey Cantrell each adding three.
Cantrell moved into the top 10 on the all-time Panther digs list with 21 in the match. The Rockwall, Texas native moved ahead of Jennifer Rizzo and now has 785 digs in her career.
Duquesne saw four players score at least eight kills, led by Sara Scheirman and Jessica Artman with nine a piece. Chelsea Tillotson added 33 assists in the loss..
Duquesne fell to 7-4 on the season after going 0-3 in the tournament.
The Panthers will return to action on Sunday afternoon facing Chicago State (0-9) at Alumni Hall at noon.
Georgia State will conclude tournament play next weekend at the Elon Invitational. State will take on the host Phoenix, Norfolk State and Navy beginning on Friday.
