LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Facing conference-leader UALR on Sunday, Georgia State's volleyball team fell 3-0 (18-25, 17-25, 15-25) in Little Rock, Ark. UALR used a .408 hitting percentage to defeat the Panthers.

“This was a hard-fought match,” head coach Sally Polhamus said. “I thought we came out ready to play and we made the other team work hard. We have some more steps to take, especially on our side of the net, but I thought we came out aggressive.”

Georgia State's Kitan Ajanaku had a good performance on Sunday, recording 11 kills on .526 hitting. Sophomore Kristina Stinson also played well as she and Eliza Zachary each finished with eight kills. Gabby Serafin led the Panthers' defense with 13 digs to bring her season total to 199 which is first on the team. The Trojans were led by Edina Begic who posted 12 kills on .440 hitting. UALR used a balanced attack as six players finished the match with six or more kills.

The Panthers went on the offensive in the first set and led 9-7 before UALR would make a push to tie the set at 11. The Trojans went on top 16-11 leading to a Panther timeout. GSU would pull within three, but eventually lose Set 1 25-18. Zachary finished the first frame with five kills on seven attempts.

UALR jumped out to a 5-2 lead in Set 2 and never trailed.  The Panthers stayed close for most of the set, but faded late to lose 25-17 and fall behind 2-0 in the match.

Georgia State lead 10-7 in Set 3, but UALR rallied to tie the set at 12. Polhamus called a timout after her team fell behind 15-12. The break wouldn't pay off for the Panthers, however, as the Trojans pulled away to finish the sweep with a 25-15 win.

The Panthers are back in action on Friday for a home match against Texas State. The match is set to begin at 6 p.m. at the GSU Sports Arena.