What you need to know:
* On Friday evening, Georgia State and Texas State went the distance of five sets at the GSU Sports Arena. The Bobcats outlasted the Panthers by a final of 22-25, 25-18, 24-26, 25-14 and 11-15.
* GSU falls to 4-5 in the Sun Belt and 8-12 overall. The Panthers still cling to the third place spot in the East Division. Texas State improves to 14-9 overall and 7-1 in the SBC.
* Sophomore OH Crystal Lee carried the Panther offense with 20 kills as Kristina Stinson and Anna Rantala combined for 26 kills. Anna Rantala and Celeste Friesen led the GSU defense with 31 combined digs. Georgia State returns to the court tomorrow at 6 p.m. versus UT Arlington in the Sports Arena.
ATLANTA – Georgia State took the Texas State Bobcats to five sets Friday night. The Bobcats went on to take the match 22-25, 25-18, 24-26, 25-14 and 11-15. Head coach Sally Polhamus and the Panthers fall to 4-5 in the SBC and 8-12 overall.
The Panthers kept the match competitive until the very end behind Crystal Lee's offensive firepower. Lee totaled 20 kills and eight digs on the night with a .366 hitting percentage. Kristina Stinson and Anna Rantala each registered double-digit kills as Sarah Renner ran the offense with 48 assists.
GSU stepped up its effort on the defensive end of the floor to keep pace with the Bobcats. Rantala, Renner and Celeste Friesen each had double-digit digs with Rantala's 17 leading the way. The Panthers tallied eight service aces in the match to Texas State's five.
The Bobcats were led offensively by Kelsey Weynland, Jaliyah Bolden and Lauren Kirch. The three accounted for nearly 70 percent of the team's 54 kills. Micah Dinwiddie led both teams with 20 digs and Erin Hoppe commanded the offense with 45 assists.
After dropping sets one and three, the Panthers bounced back nicely in two and four with dominant 25-18 and 25-14 victories. Sally Polhamus and the coaching staff were pleased with how the team battled until the end.
Georgia State will look to build on its confidence from a hard-fought match against the West Division's second-best team. The Panthers will get right back on the court tomorrow at 6 p.m. versus the UT Arlington Mavericks. The Mavericks are fresh off a 3-1 win over Georgia Southern in Statesboro Friday night.
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