ATLANTA - In a highly competitive and its closest match of the year, the Georgia State volleyball team fell to Radford on Friday afternoon, 3-0 (25-22, 26-24 & 27-25). The two teams combined for 36 ties and 15 lead changes as neither team ever led by more than four points in a single set.
Senior Ashley Jones led the Panthers, who fell to 4-3, with 14 kills, while redshirt-sophomore Vineece Verdun chipped in with 13 kills and four total blocks.
Verdun has scored in double-figure kills in six of seven matches this season is among the top three in the CAA.
Junior Chelsea Perry added 40 assists, her third effort of 40 or more this season.
Radford was led by Emily Carlin who scored a double-double of 13 kills and 11 digs. The Highlanders improved to 4-5 with the victory.
The Panthers came out strong in the first and led most of the way. State went ahead 5-2 when sophomore Jamiee Freeman and Verdun blocked an attack by Radford's Emily Hayes. The Panthers continued to hold leads throughout the set and led 20-18 on a Radford attack error. However, the Highlanders were resilient throughout the match and went on a 7-2 run to earn a first set victory.
The two teams combined for six lead changes and 10 ties in the first set and topped that with seven lead changes and 13 ties in the second set.
Radford took an early 6-3 lead in the second and led for a good portion of the set, before the Panthers rallied and took a 13-11 lead on an error by the Highlanders. State took its biggest lead of the set when Jones scored a kill give the Panthers a 19-16 lead.
The two teams were tied at 20, 22 and 24 before Radford won the final two points to take the second set.
Unfortunately for the Panthers, the third set followed the script of the first two. Freeman scored a service ace to give the Panthers a 16-12 lead midway through the set, the biggest lead either team had in the match.
An attack error by Radford's Carly Fleming gave the Panthers a 21-18 advantage, before the Highlanders once again made a push to earn the three-set victory. The two teams combined for 13 ties and two lead changes in the final set.
The Panthers had only 12 attack errors in the match, but the Highlanders scored 10 more kills which proved to be the difference.
Georgia State will return to the court on Saturday evening for their second and final match of the DePaul Invitational, facing DePaul at 8:30 p.m. Live stats can be found at GeorgiaStateSports.com.
State will return home on Tuesday for face the University of Georgia at 5:30 p.m. in the GSU Sports Arena. Admission to all volleyball matches is free of charge.
-www.GeorgiaStateSports.com-
