What you need to know:
* Georgia State (3-3) won its third match in a row Saturday, rallying from down 0-2 to beat High Point 25-27, 23-25, 25-20, 29-27, 15-10.
* Kristina Stinson tallied 24 kills, a new career high, and was named MVP of the HPU Classic. Kitan Ajanaku and Gabby Serafin also earned all-tournament honors.
* GSU hosts Kennesaw State next Tuesday in the home opener at 6 p.m. at the GSU Sports Arena.
ATLANTA – Down 0-2 to High Point on Saturday at the HPU Classic, Georgia State's volleyball team rallied to win 25-27, 23-25, 25-20, 29-27, 15-10, earning the Panthers a third straight victory.
“We got better this weekend,” head coach Sally Polhamus said. “From the first match to the last, we were pushed and we responded.”
Georgia State was the first team to 20 points in every set, but struggled to finish in the first two frames. High Point rallied in both to gain the 2-0 advantage. Before the third set, Polhamus told her team to play one point at a time.
“It's about learning how to finish,” Polhamus stated. “We want everyone to know where we want the ball and to trust the system in late-game situations.”
The team responded by coming out of intermission and claiming a 25-20 win in Set 3. Georgia State took a lead in Set 4, but High Point once again fought back to tie the set at 22. GSU faced match point four times, but dug deep each play to extend the contest. Freshman Sarah Renner found senior Deidra Bohannon for a kill to give GSU the 28-27 lead and Bohannon teamed with senior Kitan Ajanaku to get the set-winning block to force a fifth set.
With the momentum on their side, the Panthers trailed just once, at 5-4, in Set 5. GSU jumped out to a 12-7 lead and never looked back, winning the set and match on a block by senior Eliza Zachary and freshman Shae Chapman.
Junior Kristina Stinson was the go-to on offense for Georgia State for most of the weekend, earning her the recognition of MVP of the HPU Classic. Stinson set a new career high for kills Saturday with 24. She totaled 55 on the weekend. Two more Panthers made the all-tournament team in Ajanaku and senior Gabby Serafin. Ajanaku recorded 12 blocks and 21 kills while hitting .404 in the three matches. Serafin tallied 27 digs against HPU, a new career high for the libero.
GSU returns to host Kennesaw State Tuesday, Sept. 8 for the Panthers' home opener. That match is slated for 6 p.m. in the GSU Sports Arena.
Follow along with Georgia State on Twitter (@GeorgiaStateVB) for the latest news.
