ATLANTA- Muki Kangwa had a team-high 10 kills and Vineece Verdun added six as the Georgia State volleyball team (7-11, 1-0) shut out UNC Wilmington (6-10, 0-1) in its Colonial Athletic Association opener Saturday (25-17, 25-20, 25-20) at the GSU Sports Arena.
Emily Averbeck led the Panthers with 15 digs while Kaylee McGrew had a team-high 25 assists in the win.
It is the third straight season in which the Panthers have defeated the Seahawks to begin CAA play as GSU improved to 14-2 all-time against UNCW.
The Panthers held the Seahawks to a -.008 attack percentage, the lowest of any GSU opponent this season.
"We forced them into a lot of errors because we were doing the things we needed to do correctly on our side," said head coach Tami Audia.
Georgia State's six starters, plus the libero, played the entire match.
"We had a nice rhythm going and we wanted to keep everything rolling with our momentum," Audia added. "We had a great week of practice and the team showed that today."
In the opening set, GSU led from the beginning and built a 17-10 lead after a kill from Jamiee Freeman. Kangwa paced the offense with three kills in the first game as the Panthers never allowed the Seahawks to challenge, coasting to a 25-17 win.
The second set remained tight throughout, with the Panthers holding a slim advantage most of the way. Andrea Noe and Andrea Ezell combined for a block to put the Panthers ahead late in the set, 18-15. After UNCW cut the score to 20-19, GSU won five of the next six points, claiming the set on a kill from Noe for a 25-20 win.
Looking to close the door on the Seahawks, the Panthers raced out to a 12-7 advantage in the third set after McGrew set up Kangwa for a kill. GSU kept the Seahawks at a distance once again, using two kills and three blocks from Verdun to build a 23-17 lead. After the Seahawks cut it to 24-20, Freeman ended the match with a spike to secure the shutout and CAA victory.
Noe finished with a career-high five block assists in the win, while Ezell posted a team-high six. GSU finished with 22 block assists and 13 total team blocks, the second-highest totals of the season.
The Panthers continue CAA action next weekend by hosting VCU Friday at 7 p.m. and William & Mary Sunday at 1 p.m.
"We'll get to enjoy this one today and then it all resets," said Audia after Saturday's win. "With VCU and William & Mary coming in, we'll need to defend our home court and get back to work."
