CLEMSON, S.C. -- Behind Ashley Jones' double-double and Vineece Verdun's eight block assists, the Georgia State volleyball team swept Florida A&M, 3-0 (25-15, 26-24, 25-22), in game one of the Clemson Classic.
With the win, GSU improves to 6-5 and snaps a three-match slide.
"It was nice to come out and get a win after our last couple of matches," said head coach Tami Audia. "We play two tough teams tomorrow, so we will have to play big and with confidence to give ourselves a chance to come out with a pair of victories."
In set one with the score tied at three, the Panthers went on a 7-0 run to break open the set. From there the Rattlers cut the deficit to three at 14-11, but GSU burst out to an 11-4 run to close out the set with a kill by senior Racquel Jones. The Panthers had a team attack percentage of .375 and had a 75% sideout percentage in the set.
Sets two and three were both back-and-forth affairs with a combined 14 ties and five lead changes. In the second set with the Rattlers leading 22-21, three straight block assists by Verdun and Muki Kangwa gave GSU the 24-22 lead. After Florida A&M rallied to tie it at 24, a kill by Kangwa and a block assist by Verdun and Chelsea Perry gave GSU the hard fought second set.
In the third set, GSU trailed 22-20 but scored five straight points to claim the victory. Kills by Kangwa and R. Jones tied the match up before taking the lead on a block assist by R. Jones and Kangwa. A kill by freshman Loren Bylerly and an attack error on the Rattlers ended the match.
In a balanced offensive attack, A. Jones and Kangwa both had double-digit kills with 11 and 10, respectively. Verdun had eight kills, while tying her career high with eight block assists. Perry had 34 assists and libero Audrey Cantrell had 14 digs.
GSU outblocked the Rattlers, 10-4, while limiting them to a .133 attack percentage.
GSU returns to action on Saturday as it does battle with a pair of ACC opponents in the host Tigers of Clemson and crosstown rival Georgia Tech. The Panthers first serve with Clemson comes at 12 p.m., while the match with the Yellow Jackets is set for 4 p.m.
