MONROE, La. – With a 3-0 win over Louisiana-Monroe on Sunday, the Georgia State volleyball team has now won three matches in a row. The Panthers had their first 2-0 weekend in conference play after GSU took down the Warhawks on the road.
Georgia State earned its first Sun Belt road win with a 25-19, 25-22, 25-15 victory.
Sophomores Dede Bohannon and Eliza Zachary both finished the match with 12 kills each. Freshman Kristina Stinson had seven kills, while sophomore Sydney Hunsley added in another six. The team hit .209 overall.
On the defensive side of the ball, Georgia State had a total of five team blocks. Senior libero Emily Averbeck had 25 digs, while sophomore setter Natalia Nieto had 42 assists in just three sets.
“We understood where we and what we needed to do going into today's match,” head coach Tami Audia said. “The team came out today and executed the game plan. It's been really nice to go into practice and focus on not only Georgia State, but also what we need to do to play another team and defeat another team.
“In conference play, I always say you need to steal one on the road, and we were finally able to do that today after being close several times before. I think that all of our wins continue to build our confidence, whether it's when we step out onto the court against another team or if it's in practice. We are believing in our system, executing our game and holding each other accountable. Everyone now understands their own jobs and what their teammates' roles are.”
Four different Panthers had a hand on a block, with Zachary having two solo blocks and one block assist. Georgia State had a total of 65 digs, 25 coming from Averbeck alone. Audia thought Averbeck did a great job against ULM this outing, after having a subpar performance when the teams met a week ago.
“In the locker room after the match, I really commended Emily,” Audia said. “I saw how she really carried herself today and how much it helped the team. She controlled the tempo and energy of this team today. Sometimes liberos don't shine and fade into the back row, but she had the spotlight on her. She did what seniors are supposed to do. She isn't checking out in her last couple of matches. She's treating it like she has a bunch more to go. She settled us, she pushed us and she was a key part in getting us the win today.”
In the first set, GSU started to pull away after lead 14-12. The Panthers then went on 7-1 run to lead 21-13. Georgia State withstood a barrage of attacks from ULM to take the set 25-19.
The second set saw the Panthers playing catchup early on before finally taking a lead at 11-10. The Panthers led by four at 17-13 before ULM fought back to make it 18-17. GSU then responded with four straight points of its own to lead 21-18. The Warhawks brought it within one at 23-22, but two kills by Bohannon gave the Panthers the second set, 25-22.
The third set was all Georgia State. ULM was within two at 12-10, but Georgia State used Warhawk errors to extend its lead to 21-15. Four points later, Georgia State closed out the set with a 25-15 third set victory.
Georgia State will have five days off before heading two Texas for two road matches. On Fri., Nov. 1, the Panthers will square off with UT Arlington, followed by a Saturday matchup with Texas State.
