Tournament Central
Memphis, Tenn.- The Georgia State volleyball (2-0) team opened its 2011 season in impressive fashion Friday at the Memphis Invitational, posting a 3-2 victory over UALR then coasting to a 3-0 shutout of Southeast Missouri State at Elma Roane Fieldhouse.
Freshman Andrea Noe piled up 18 kills in her first career match as GSU won in a five-set thriller, 25-20, 23-25, 27-25, 21-25, 15-5, over UALR in the tournament opener.
In Friday's second match, senior Muki Kangwa stole the show with a 17-kill, 12-dig performance as the Panthers shut down the Redhawks of Southeast Missouri State, 25-18, 25-20 and 25-17.
"The great thing about today is everyone got to play today and everyone contributed," said head coach Tami Audia. "The best part was that our level of play never dropped off. We had our ups and downs, but it was a good start."
Match One- GSU 3, UALR 2
Senior Vineece Verdun matched Noe's 18 kills on the Panther attack and sophomore setter Kaylee McGrew posted a match-high 48 assists in GSU's season-opening win.
Junior Jamiee Freeman and freshman Andrea Ezell combined for 10 of the Panthers' 18 blocks on defense and sophomore libero Emily Averbeck contributed a team-high 19 digs.
Georgia State and UALR traded the first two sets, with the Panthers shaking off a cold start to claim the opener, 25-20, and the Trojans evening things with a 25-23 second-set win.
Trailing 21-16 in the crucial third set, GSU rallied to regain control of the match with an 8-3 run that leveled the score at 24, forcing extra points. GSU then reeled off three of the next four points to win the set, 27-25, and reclaim the match lead.
Another hard-fought set in the fourth frame leveled the match once more, as UALR posted a 25-21 win to tie it at two sets apiece.
In the decisive first-to-15 fifth set, GSU jumped out to an early 10-3 lead with the help of six straight points. From there, the Panthers cruised to a 15-5 victory to clinch the fifth set and opening match of the tournament.
Match Two- GSU 3, SEMO 0
After many anxious moments in its first match of the day, Georgia State enjoyed a much easier time putting away its second opponent away Friday in a 3-0 shutout of Southeast Missouri State.
In addition to her match-high 18.5 points, Muki Kangwa added three blocks to help GSU remain unbeaten in tournament play.
Vineece Verdun and Andrea Noe each added seven kills, while Andrea Ezell led the Panthers with four blocks.
Splitting time at the setter position, Kaylee McGrew and senior Chelsea Perry totaled 21 and 14 assists, respectively. Jamiee Freeman added three service aces and 10 digs.
The Panthers came out swinging early against the Redhawks, sprinting to a 25-18 opening-set victory.
After GSU built an early lead in set two, Southeast Missouri State came to within one point at 16-15. From there, GSU went on a 9-5 run to capture the second set, 25-20.
The Panthers once more jumped in front of the Redhawks in the third and final set and did not allow their opponent to come within seven down the stretch, coasting to a 25-17 victory.
Georgia State returns to action Saturday when it plays Alabama A&M (0-1) at 3 p.m. ET, followed by an 8 p.m. ET tilt with tournament host Memphis (1-0). Fans can follow the live action at the Tournament Central home online.
