Towson, Md.- Three Georgia State players piled up double-digit kills but the Panther volleyball team (10-15, 4-4 CAA) lost to a hot-hitting Towson squad, 3-1 (25-11, 25-22, 25-27, 25-19), in Colonial Athletic Association action in the Towson Center Saturday night.
Muki Kangwa (17 kills, 14 digs), Jamiee Freeman (14 digs, 12 kills) and Vineece Verdun (14 kills) led the way for the Panthers, but Towson (19-7, 6-3 CAA) posted the highest team attack percentage- .354- of any GSU opponent this season.
The match featured the CAA's top two scorers in Tigers sophomore Katy Buck and Kangwa, who rank first and second, respectively, in points and kills among league players. While each player led their team offensively Saturday, Buck finished the night with a match-high 18 kills.
Buck also had help from three additional teammates who posted double-digit kills as the Tigers amassed 70 kills on the night, compared to GSU's 47. With the loss, the Panthers ended a five-match road trip 2-3.
Less than 24 hours after dropping a four-set match at CAA favorite Delaware, the Panthers came out slowly in the first game Saturday night. GSU fell behind 10-4 after a kill from the Tigers' Susan Gansor. Buck later gave the Tigers a 17-6 advantage as Towson pushed the GSU deficit into double digits. Despite four kills from Verdun in the frame, the Panthers dropped the first set, 25-11.
Georgia State made things much closer in the second set, battling to an 11-11 tie after a spike from Kangwa. After Towson earned a slim 18-14 lead, Andrea Noe picked up a kill on a set from Emily Averbeck, then drilled an ace to make it a two-point game. Kangwa later brought GSU even, 19-19, on back-to-back kills. GSU claimed a 21-20 lead after a ball handling error, but could muster only one more point in the set in falling, 25-22.
Things went the Panthers' way in the third frame thanks to a healthy comeback. GSU trailed much of the way and was down 19-14 before reeling off four straight points. Later, down 22-21, Kangwa ripped a kill to bring the teams even. Back-and-forth the squads went, until Verdun blasted two straight spikes that gave GSU a slim 27-25 set win.
In the fourth set, the Panthers remained a step behind the Tigers throughout. GSU trailed 13-9 after a kill from Dayane Van Ass, who had 15 kills in the match, then found themselves down 19-11 after a spike by Susan Gansor. The Panthers tried to rally once more, cutting the deficit to 22-19 on attacks from Kangwa and Andrea Noe, but it would not be enough. The Tigers tallied the final points on Panther attack errors and took the match with a 25-19 fourth-set victory.
Dropping their second four-setter in as many nights, the Panthers have now lost two straight after winning five of their previous seven contests. GSU has six matches remaining- all in conference- on the season. The top six CAA schools will qualify for the season-ending league tournament in November.
Four of GSU's six remaining matches will be played at home, beginning next Friday at 7 p.m. against George Mason (7-13, 2-6 CAA) in the Sports Arena. The Panthers then host one of the conference's top teams two days later, James Madison (16-6, 6-2 CAA), Oct. 30 at 1 p.m.
