Box Score (html)

ATHENS, Ga. – The Georgia State volleyball team began the 2012 season with a convincing 3-0 win over Troy in the first game of the Benson Hospitality Bulldog Invitational at the University of Georgia Friday afternoon.  GSU took the first and second sets 25-21 and the third set 25-20.

With the victory, GSU improved to 1-0 on the season while Troy opened the season 0-1.

Sophomore Andrea Book led a balanced Panther attack with seven kills in the contest. Senior Jamiee Freeman was second in scoring with five kills and freshman Sydney Hunsley added five.

Junior Emily Averbeck led the way with 16 digs while Hunsley was second with 10. Freshman Natalia Nieto posted 15 assists in the match while fellow rookie Andrea DeLeon added 12 assists of her own. DeLeon had a strong serving performance as well with a pair of aces.

Freshman Eliza Zachary posted a pair of blocks and a pair of block-assists in her first action as a Panther.

GSU trailed 18-16 in the first set, but the Panther's used a 9-6 run to take the first frame 25-21.

The two teams traded the lead several times in the second set, but in the end GSU took the set 25-21. Book posted two straight kills to give GSU a 16-15 lead but the Trojans managed to tie the score three more times in the set before the Panthers managed to pull away.

Bohannon put the Panthers in the lead for good in the second set with a kill that put GSU up 20-10. The freshman notched an ace soon thereafter to put the score at 22-19. Zachary finished the set off with a kill.

GSU led for the majority of the third set. Freeman posted her lone service ace of the contest to give the Panthers a 13-9 lead. The Trojans made a late 5-1 run in the third set but a kill by Book from DeLeon sealed the 3-0 win.

The Panthers continue play at the Bulldog Invitational Saturday at 10 a.m. when they take on in-state rival Georgia Southern. GSU rounds out Saturday's competition with an exhibition match against the Slovenian national team at 1 p.m. Links to live stats for all of this weekend's matches can be found at GeorgiaStateSports.com.