ATLANTA - Even though Troy came away with a 3-1 win over Georgia State on Friday, the match was closer than the score indicates. 

The Trojans (12-19, 7-10) had just nine more kills than the Panthers (9-22, 4-13) in a 34-32, 19-25, 25-22, 15-19 win. The two teams hit just .002 apart, with Troy hitting .196 and Georgia State hitting .198.

Sophomore Dede Bohannon led the Panthers with 19 kills. She also had 15 digs, giving her a double-double for the night. Sophomore Eliza Zachary trailed Bohannon by two kills with her 17 on .361 hitting. Freshman Kristina Stinson and junior Andrea' Ezell each had nine kills. The Panthers had 58 kills total.

Defensively, the Panthers shined with 12 total team blocks, compared to Troy's six. Ezell had two solo blocks and five block assists. Sophomore Natalia Nieto had another 50-plus assist night with 53, while senior Emily Averbeck laid out for 26 digs.  

The first set was a marathon and it was the Trojans who squeaked out the win. Georgia State was down 16-12 in the middle of the first set before it battled back to tie it at 18. Troy then took a 24-22 lead with two set points. Georgia State saved both of them with a Stinson kill and a block. The Panthers and the Trojans then battled back and forth until Troy won points 33 and 34. GSU had five set points, while Troy had six. 

The second set had Georgia State pull away after a 17-all tie. The Panthers went on an 8-2 run to finish out the second set. The third set started positively for Georgia State, with the Panthers taking an 11-5 lead. Troy fought hard and fought back to tie it at 17. Troy then went on an 8-5 run to close out the set.

The fourth set saw Troy start to pull away after a 7-7 tie. The Trojans won five straight points, which put the Panthers in a position of trying to catch up. Georgia State did get within three at 19-22, but Troy proved to be too much and took the final set 25-19.

With the loss, Georgia State is eliminated from making the Sun Belt Tournament. The Panthers will have one more match this season, a noon matchup on Sunday with South Alabama.