ATLANTA - The Georgia State sand volleyball team started the Diggin' Duals tournament with an upset over No. 9 FIU and finished the day with two 5-0 sweeps over South Carolina and Mercer. The win against FIU was the first win in program history over a ranked opponent.
The Panthers are off on a blazing start in their second year, beginning the 2014 season with a 6-1 record.
The only loss GSU has had this season came Sunday against FIU in 3-2 decision. On Tuesday, the Panthers avenged that loss with a 3-2 win of their own. FIU didn't make it easy, with three of the five matches going to five sets.
Alexis Townsend and Katie Madewell gave GSU its first point of the day, winning 21-19, 16-21, 15-13 at the fifth flight. Sara Olivova and Jansen Button then tied the match at 2-2 with their straight-set victory at the second flight. The match then hinged on the first flight. Sophomore Milani Pickering and and freshman Natalie Wilson lost the first set 21-18, but fought back to win the next two sets 21-17 and 15-8.
Georgia State then had a two match break before returning to the courts for a matchup with South Carolina. The Panthers won at every position in straight sets except for the first flight. Again, Pickering and Wilson were pushed to three sets after losing the first set, 18-21, but rebounded and won the next two sets 21-11 and 15-13.
With little chance to recover, Georgia State immediately went back to work against Mercer. All flights won in straight sets, except flight four, where Moriah Bellissimo and Madewell needed three sets. The Panther pair lost the first set 21-19 and then won the next two 21-19 and 15-10.
Overall, the Panthers had two pairs go 3-0 on the day. Button and Olivova were perfect in the second flight and Pickering and Wilson were undefeated at the first.
"Today we brought up Natalie [Wilson] and Milani [Pickering] to the one seed," assistant coach Kirsten Gallagher said. "They surprised us. They really took on a lot of tough competition and handled them with ease. They fought hard and played some great defense and really contributed to our team wins today."
In its first seven matches last season, the GSU sand volleyball team was 4-3.
"We started this morning knowing we had to defend our home sand and came out with a little bit of a chip on our shoulder after losing to FIU 3-2 over the weekend," head coach Beth Van Fleet said. "We were 100 percent focused on our first game. Throughout the day, I think what we have seen is a perserverance of this team and how with every match that we play, we are improving.
"We are limiting, eliminating our errors and implementing a lot more strategy. I think the biggest thing we have is heart. We are a very strong defensive team and we have huge heart. We have passion for the game and at the end of the day, and at the end of the close matches, that is what is propelling us right now. We are not going to win them all, but it sure felt great to win a lot of them today."
The Panthers will get a few days off before hitting Cocoa Beach this Saturday and Sunday for the Ron Jon Surf Shop Beach-n-Boards Fest.
