ATLANTA -- Behind a trio of Panthers with 14-plus kills, the Georgia State volleyball team defeated Northeastern, 3-1 (18-25, 25-23, 25-18, 25-23), on Sunday afternoon at the Sports Arena.
Junior Muki Kangwa (16), senior Ashley Jones (15) and redshirt-junior Vineece Verdun (14) all produced double-digit kills, while redshirt-sophomore Mirjam Pfyl chipped in with eight.
Leading two sets to one and looking to close out the match, GSU jumped out to a quick 8-2 lead to begin the fourth set. State held that six point advantage through 12-6, but the Huskies would not go away quietly. Northeastern trimed the deficit to 15-13, and cut it to one at 17-16 before tying the match at 18. A pair of kills gave NU its only lead of the set at 20-18, but GSU fought back to tie it at 21. A pair of attack errors gave GSU a 23-21 lead, but a kill and a service ace tied the set at 23. However, consecutive kills by Kangwa and Verdun gave GSU the win, 25-23.
"The team knew this was a must-win game for us after a couple of tough matches and they came out and matched Northeastern's intensity," said head coach Tami Audia. "When they attacked, we attacked back. I was really pleased with how Mirjam (Pfyl) played today for us and I was glad to see that we were serving better after Friday night."
Both teams struggled to block during the match, as GSU recorded only four blocks, while the Huskies had three. The limited blocking led to high attack percentages, as GSU and Northeastern each hit .336. GSU hit over .300 in every set. The match saw 21 ties, but only seven lead changes.
Chelsea Perry had 49 assists and 12 digs, while Jamiee Freeman and A. Jones had 11 and 10 digs, respectively. Emily Averbeck, Audrey Cantrell and Freeman each had two service aces. Northeastern had three players with 15 kills in Janelle Tucker, Britney Brown and Nichole Kurz.
The first set appeared to be a continuation of the first two sets from Friday night's matches, as GSU battled the Huskies throughout the early part of the match, but gave up a big run to allow NU to cruise to a 25-18 victory. With the score at 8-7 Northeastern, the Huskies went on a 10-1 run to extend the lead to 18-8. From there, GSU could get no closer than six points as the Huskies closed out the set with the last of their 22 kills. NU hit a remarkable .594 in the set to outshine GSU's strong .308 attack percentage. The Huskies also produced a solid 72% sideout percentage.
Georgia State battled back in set two to claim a hard-fought 25-23 victory. After enjoying a brief lead in the beginning, the Panthers made their move with the score 12-10 in favor of the Huskies. A kill by Mirjam Pfyl , an attack error by the Huskies and a service ace by Emily Averbeck gave GSU a one point lead. NU tied the score at 13, but trailed the rest of the set as Muki Kangwa and Ashley Jones had three kills each in the final 12 points to give GSU the victory. The attack percentages for each team were a little lower, with GSU enjoying a .333-.263 advantage. Kangwa had seven kills during the set, while hitting .667.
Similar to the second set, the third set saw GSU take the lead midway through the set and not relinquish it, winning 25-18. Trailing 8-7, a kill and service ace by A. Jones gave GSU the 9-8 lead. Northeastern last tied the set at 14, before GSU went on a 4-1 run to extend its lead to three. The Huskies cut the lead to 18-16, but GSU allowed NU only two more points, scoring seven of the final nine points to close out the set on Verdun's seventh kill of the set. The attack percentages remained high as both teams continued to struggle blocking on the front row. GSU had its third-straight set of plus .300 attack percentage, hitting .350. Northeastern hit .256. Despite the final score, the set saw the most ties, seven, of any set.
The Panthers (10-11, 4-3 CAA) return to action next weekend as they make a return trip to Virginia, this time to face VCU in Richmond and William & Mary in Williamsburg. Northeastern falls to 13-8, 4-3 CAA.
