What You Need to Know

• Georgia State went 2-0 in a weekend trip against Furman and South Carolina.
• Senior Linn Timmermann and Freshmen Chiara Volejnicek and Daniela Ramirez clinched the last three Saturday afternoon matches to secure the comeback after being down 3-1.
• With the wins this weekend, the Panthers are now 4-0 on the season with their first home matches on the horizon against FIU and George Washington.

Columbia, S.C. -- Chiara Volejnicek rallied for a three-set victory to win the clinching match at No. 5 singles in Georgia State's 4-3 victory at No. 29 South Carolina, the highest ranked team the Panthers have ever beaten.

Volejnicek, a freshman from Switzerland, dropped her first set to Rachel Rohrabacher and was down 5-3 and 40-love in the second set before rallying for the 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 victory. Volejnicek survived four match points in the match and won nine of the last ten games to secure a Panther win.

The Panthers trailed 3-1 in the match before rallying to improve to 4-0 on the season. Previously, the highest ranked team that GSU had defeated was No. 31 Tennessee in the first round of the 2014 NCAA Championships.

The Panthers inched out to a 1-0 lead after doubles play at the USC Field House. Partners Linn Timmermann / Tarani Kamoe and Niri Rasolomalala / Kristin Rehse grabbed the doubles point with 6-4 and 7-5 wins respectively.

In singles, GSU quickly fell behind as Rehse, Rasolomalala, and Lara Vovk, dropped their matches. However, the Panthers rallied and reeled off three straight, three set match wins to give the team the 4-3 win.

Timmermann started the comeback when she won her match 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (9). Timmermann is now 4-0 on the season in the No. 1 spot. One of only two senior members, Timmermann has shown strong leadership all year.

Freshman Daniela Ramirez kept the momentum alive as she came back from dropping the first set 3-6 to win the next two (6-1, 6-4), followed by Volejniceks improbable comeback to secure the win.

The word of the day for the Panthers was resiliency. Every singles match win came by virtue of a 3-set match in which the Panthers dropped the first set.

Head coach Jason Marshall was proud of the team's ability to bouce back. “They fought to the very last point, and found a way to dig out of a hole, that's the moral of the win.”

He was especially pleased with the leadership shown by the No. 5 and 6 players Chiara Volejnicek and Daniela Ramirez. “Our Two freshmen at five and six really proved themselves. For them to come in as freshmen and lead the team like this was a really big showing.” The two freshmen have been strong all season, as they have yet to drop a match in singles play this season.

Although the win appears to be a large upset, Coach Marshall does not view it as such.

“We always believed we could win. We don't view this as a big upset. It's a great win on paper, but we knew that we could do this based on our great preparation and practice and had a lot of confidence. We knew we were prepared for this match.”

Georgia State hosts FIU Friday at Dunwoody Country Club in their first home match of the season. FIU is 3-1 on the season and has back-to-back 7-0 wins.

Following a day of rest, the Panthers will pick up play against George Washington at Piedmont Park in Atlanta. George Washington currently holds a 2-1 record with a match to be played Sunday.

Georgia State 4, #29 South Carolina 3

Doubles (Order of Finish: 3, 1, 2*)

1. Timmermann/Kamoe (GSU) def. Berg/Dailey (USC) 6-4

2. Rasolomalala/Rehse (GSU) def. Martins/Zogg (USC) 7-5

3. Rohrabacher/Cochran (USC) def. Ramirez/Volejnicek (GSU) 6-0

Singles (Order of Finish: 3, 2, 4, 1, 6, 5*)

1. Linn Timmermann (GSU) def. Caroline Dailey (USC) 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (9)

2. #110 Ingrid Gamarra Martins (USC) def. Kristin Rehse (GSU) 6-3, 6-1

3. Hadley Berg (USC) def. Lara Vovk (GSU) 6-1, 6-1

4. Brigit Folland (USC) def. Niri Rasolomalala (GSU) 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-1

5. Chiara Volejnicek (GSU) def. Rachel Rohrabacher (USC) 4-6, 7-5, 6-1

6. Daniela Ramirez (GSU) def. Megen Cochran (USC) 3-6, 6-1, 6-4