Monroe, La. - The Georgia State sand volleyball team concluded its inaugural season with 4-1 loss at Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday. The Panthers finish tthis first season with an 8-9 record and the No. 1 pairs going to the National Championships. ULM is one of the six teams chosen for the National Championships and avenged their earlier season loss to Georgia State.

GSU's inaugural season saw them face four of the six teams going to the National Championship, while finishing 2-3 against that field. Six of GSU's nine inaugural season losses came to teams who were ranked in the Top 10 when GSU played them.

The only duo to win their match on Saturday was Georgia State's top pair of Lane Carico and Katie Madewell. Madewell and Carico picked up their 28th win of the year after two tough sets in their defeat of ULM's Zuzana Markova and Tetiana Sukach. GSU's top duo won the match 22-20, 21-17.

Carico and Madewell finish the regular season with a 28-5 record and will travel to compete in the AVCA National Championship, May 3-5, in Gulf Shores, Ala.

Georgia State's No. 2 pair of Jansen Button and Sara Olivova fell in two tightly-contested sets to the Warhawks' Amy Grabiec and Michelle McNamee, 23-21, 21-18.

Georgia State's No. 3 pair of Alexis Elmurr and Molly Smestad bowed in two sets, 21-12, 21-13, to ULM's Marcela Araya and Maria Garcia.

The No. 4 duo for the Panthers, Milani Pickering and Katelyn Rawls, lost in a three-set battle to ULM's Blanca Ocana and Kylie Parks, 17-21, 21-14, 15-9.

At the No. 5 spot for the Panthers, freshmen Karlee Kavanaugh and Alexis Townsend lost in their three-set challenge 21-19, 23-21, 15-9.

In an exhibition match, Kaitlynn Hufstetler and Nikki Senopoulos picked up a win over Sarah Johnson and Danielle Lewis with a 21-18, 21-10 score.

Carico and Madewell will represent the Panthers in the postseason with their appearance as a No. 1 seed in the AVCA National Championships, May 3-5, in Gulf Shores, Ala. They have a chance of meeting the Warhawks' top pair again, as ULM was invited to compete in the Championships.

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