Boston, Mass.- Junior Jamiee Freeman posted a team-high 17 digs but the Georgia State volleyball team dropped a 3-0 decision (25-16, 25-16, 25-22) at Northeastern on Sunday at Solomon Court in Colonial Athletic Association action.
The Panthers (9-13, 3-2 CAA) began the day tied for first in the CAA, but fell to Northeastern (13-4, 3-2), a preseason favorite, for the 10th time in 12 all-time meetings. The top six schools will qualify for the league tournament this season. GSU was slated to finish sixth in the conference this year by CAA coaches, while NU was picked preseason third.
Freeman now leads GSU with 301 digs on the season, while the Panthers are averaging 15.9 per set, fourth in the CAA. Freeman added eight kills in the loss Sunday, while Muki Kangwa led GSU with 11.
Chelsea Perry had 30 assists and Vineece Verdun had a team-high four block assists, now leading GSU with .90 per set on the year.
Trailing 5-4 in the opening set, GSU allowed the next seven points in falling behind 12-4. After trailing by as many as 10, the Panthers trimmed the deficit to 22-16 after a ball handling error on the Huskies. GSU dropped the next three points however in losing the first set, 25-16.
Down 9-6 in the second set, the Panthers battled to a 10-10 tie after a kill from Verdun. From there, the Huskies reeled off 11 straight points, getting three kills from Jasmine Marta in the process. Offense from Kangwa and Freeman helped the Panthers regain their composure, but GSU dropped the set by another 25-16 score.
The Panthers played their best set of the afternoon in the third frame. The visitors fought the Huskies to a 14-14 tie in the third set, using two kills each from Kangwa and Andrea Book. Later, GSU earned their first lead of the set, going ahead 19-17 on a spike from Freeman. GSU took a 22-21 on another kill from Freeman, but it proved to be the Panthers' last point of the day. NU scored the next four, earning a 25-22 set win on a spike from Nicole Bishop that ended the match.
Georgia State continues a five-match road trip when it travels to UNC Wilmington (8-13, 2-3 CAA) Saturday for a 2 p.m. contest. GSU opened its conference season with a 3-0 shutout of the Seahawks in Atlanta on Sept. 24.
