Richmond, Va.- Offensive leaders Vineece Verdun and Muki Kangwa combined for 30 kills but the Georgia State volleyball team fell at VCU in four sets (25-19, 17-25, 25-16, 25-22) in the Panthers' final road contest of the regular season.
Despite the loss, GSU has clinched a spot in the CAA tournament in two weeks after earning their seventh conference win Friday over William & Mary.
The Panthers fell to 7-5 in league play and 13-16 overall with Saturday's loss. GSU has two matches remaining this season, both at home, looking to move up in seeding in the six-team league tournament. The conference's regular season champion will be the host site.
VCU improved to 14-15 overall and 7-6 in the CAA as the teams split their season series.
Verdun led all players with 16 kills Saturday, her sixth straight match with double-digit kills. Kangwa added 14 on the night as setter Kaylee McGrew racked up 34 assists.
The loss snapped a season-long three-match winning streak for GSU.
GSU remained a step behind through much of the first set as the Rams nailed 17 kills in the opening frame. After Panther freshman Andrea Noe served her 17th service ace of the year to bring the Panthers within two at 11-9, the Rams pushed out to an 18-12 lead. Despite four kills from junior Jamiee Freeman in the set, the Panthers went on to lose by a 25-19 margin.
After a back and forth opening to the second set, offense from Verdun helped GSU distance itself and take a 17-10 lead. The Panthers went on to record 17 kills of their own in the second set, led by six from Verdun and five from Kangwa, and level the match with a 25-17 win.
After playing a five-set match the night before against William & Mary, the Panthers began to show signs of wearing down against the Rams in the third frame. GSU fell down by as many as 11 points in dropping the set, 25-16.
GSU looked primed to bring the match even by winning the fourth set, but a late Rams rally doomed the Panthers. Kangwa gave GSU a 19-16 lead with a kill, then the Panthers went up by four on a Rams error. VCU responded by reeling off eight straight points to surge in front, 24-20, then won the match three points later with a 25-22 victory in the set. GSU had four attacking errors during the final stretch to spoil its lead.
Despite the loss, Verdun raised her attack percentage to a team-high .345 for the season. The conference's Preseason Player of the Year stands second in the CAA in the category.
GSU had just five total blocks in the loss, while VCU had 17.5, led by Courtney Hott's 11.
The Panthers return home next weekend for their final matches of the regular season. GSU will face Northeastern at 7 p.m. on Friday, then Hofstra Sunday at 1 p.m.
