ATLANTA - Georgia State fell to Sun Belt foe App State 2-3 (24-26, 25-21, 23-25, 25-9, 8-15) Friday night at GSU Sports Arena.
Georgia State falls to 3-10, 0-3 Sun Belt on the season while App State improves to 5-10, 1-2 Sun Belt.
Offensively, the Panthers were led by Leah Wilcox who tallied 12 kills. Freshman Evoni Lemons played well in her first collegiate start, notching nine kills and 13 digs. Claire Lewis registered another double-double as the freshman setter tallied 16 assists and 10 digs.
Georgia State displayed a balanced attack in set one as eight Panthers registered a kill. The Panthers were led by Wilcox who tallied three kills and two digs for the set. Both teams were able to put together runs within the set, but Appalachian State was able to narrowly pull away with a 3-0 run to win the set, 26-24.
The Panthers came out aggressive in set two, jumping out to an 8-6 lead. App State responded with a series of mini-runs, but Georgia State was able to respond and extended the lead to five late in the set. The Panthers held on to the narrow lead and went on to win the set, 25-21.
Georgia State's momentum from set two carried over to set three as the Panthers jumped out to an early 8-4 lead. App State responded with a 5-1 run of its own to come within one. The remainder of the set was a back-and-forth affair as the teams battled to a 22-22 ledger. App State then put together a 3-1 run to take the set, 25-23.
With their backs against the wall, the Panthers came out hitting on all cylinders in set four and jumped out to a 18-5 lead. Georgia State was able to hold on to the lead and won the set, 25-9. In set four, the Panthers were led by Erin Wyatt who tallied three kills in the set.
Appalachian State came out aggressive in set five as the Mountaineers jumped out to a 9-4 lead. The Panthers were unable to respond and dropped the deciding set, 8-15
The Panthers will hit the court again tomorrow when they host Coastal Carolina at 7:00 p.m. at GSU Sports Arena.
For news and notes, follow Georgia State volleyball on Instagram and Twitter (@GeorgiaStateVB).
