BOONE, N.C. – Georgia State's volleyball team fell to 2-8 on the season Saturday at the Black and Gold Challenge in Boone, N.C. The Panthers were swept 3-0 by Maryland and Radford to close out the event.
Maryland was Georgia State's first opponent of the day. In the first meeting all-time between the two teams, Maryland took down the Panthers in three sets, 25-19, 25-20, and 25-19. Juniors Eliza Zachary and Deidra Bohannon were bright spots for the Panthers, combining for 20 kills on .325 hitting and a block each. Junior Gabby Serafin added 11 digs and junior Natalia Nieto set 28 assists for GSU.
The second match of the day put Radford against the Panthers. Despite having six total team blocks, Georgia State struggled to slow down Radford's attack. The Lady Highlanders won 25-20, 26-24 and 25-20 to improve to 8-3 on the year. Zachary once again had a strong showing for GSU, totaling 12 kills on .391 hitting with two blocks. Bohannon also had 12 blocks to go along with four digs. Nieto's 32 assists led the team and junior Kitan Ajanaku had her best match of the weekend with a seven kill performance and four blocks.
Georgia State stays on the road this weekend to face conference opponents UL Monroe on Friday and South Alabama on Sunday. The next home match for the Panthers is Sept. 26 against UALR at 6 p.m. in the GSU Sports Arena.