Newark, Del.- In its first postseason appearance in six years, the Georgia State volleyball team got 30 combined kills from all-conference seniors Muki Kangwa and Vineece Verdun, but dropped a hard-fought 3-0 decision (25-23, 25-16, 29-27) to James Madison Friday night in the first round of the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament on Barbara Viera Court at the University of Delaware.
Kangwa finished with her 16th double-double of the year by totaling a match-high 17 kills and 15 digs while Verdun had 13 kills as the two played the final match of their careers. The Panthers (14-18) finished the night with a .237 attack percentage, only to be outdone by the Dukes' impressive .355 clip.
Kelly Maguire had a team-high 13 kills for the Dukes (20-10) as four JMU players posted at least nine kills.
Panther senior Chelsea Perry had 40 assists in the loss, one shy of a season high, while Emily Averbeck and Jamiee Freeman pitched in 12 digs apiece for GSU.
It was the first CAA Tournament for current GSU players and staff as the school made its first postseason appearance since 2005.
"I was very proud of the way we left it all out on the floor," said head coach Tami Audia. "Obviously we would love to have had a different result, but I was not disappointed at all with our effort. The one thing that James Madison had was more experience than us having been here last year."
As the teams traded jabs to open the match, Averbeck ripped an ace to tie the score, 8-8. After the Panthers fell behind 15-12 through the first timeout, Kangwa responded with two kills, then Verdun slammed one down the line on a set from Perry to cut the deficit to 17-16. GSU would fall behind 23-20, but rallied again to tie it, 23-23, keyed by a tandem block from Verdun and Kangwa. The Panthers could not keep the next Dukes attack from hitting the floor however, then a JMU ace ended the first set as the Dukes won, 25-23.
The Panthers fell behind 10-5 in the second set, then went down 15-7 after a Dukes slam that brought the teams into a media timeout. The Panthers score five of the next eight points and cut it to 18-12 after strong play at the net from Verdun, but JMU continued to roll in the set. A kill attempt later by Noe was blocked by Kristi Richardson to keep the GSU deficit at 21-15, and the Panthers never came within six down the stretch in dropping the second set, 25-16.
Out of the break, Perry began the third set with an ace for the Panthers, but GSU quickly found themselves in a 7-3 hole. Noe sent a kill down the line to bring GSU within three at 11-8, but the Dukes continued to apply the pressure. Trailing 19-13, Verdun ignited a GSU rally by ripping two kills in a four-point sequence that made it 19-17. The Dukes scored the next two, but GSU refused to go down quietly. The Panthers scored five of the next six points and tied the set, 22-22, in part on a block by Book and Kangwa. After a 23-23 tie, the Dukes were whistled for an error to give GSU a set point. The Panthers would earn three set points as the teams went back and forth, but neither could pull ahead. GSU then saved a match point down 27-26 as Verdun placed her 13th and final kill. Two points later, the Dukes finally claimed the set and the match as an attack rattled along the net and to the floor.
The Panthers end their season with 14 wins, matching last year's total.
Kangwa ended the year with 10 straight performances with double-digit digs, and piled up eight double-doubles in the team's final nine outings.
Verdun, the CAA's hitting percentage leader and two-time first-team all-CAA selection, hit .440 on the night in defeat.
Senior Mirjam Pfyl added nine digs in her final match.
"It's a testament to our seniors that they set the foundation and took us a step further in getting (to the CAA Tournament)," added Audia, who wraps up her second season at the helm. "We're sad to see them go but we move forward in confidence because those seniors helped us set the bar even higher. Next year, we get to come back and use this experience and I'm so excited to see how far we can go."
