ATLANTA - The Georgia State volleyball team fell to Coastal Carolina, 2-3 (21-25, 25-22, 20-25, 26-24, 8-15), Saturday night at GSU Sports Arena.
The Panthers (3-11, 0-4 Sun Belt) showed resilience but were unable to win the deciding set against the Chanticleers (10-4, 4-0 Sun Belt).
Georgia State benefited from a dominant defensive performance by Isabelle Percoco and Meisheia Griffin. The front row duo combined for 19 total blocks and staggered the Chanticleer attack.
Set one was tightly contested in the early going as Coastal Carolina held a two point lead. The Chanticleers then put together a 5-0 run to take a 14-7 lead. Georgia State battled back but was only able to pull within three and lost the set, 21-25. Griffin led the Panthers in set one with four total blocks.
Georgia State came out aggressive in set two, opening with a 10-4 run. Coastal Carolina responded with a 14-6 run to take the lead, but Georgia State quickly bounced back with a 9-4 run of its own to win the set, 25-22. Erin Wyatt led the Panthers offensively in set two with three kills.
Like sets one and two, set three was tightly contested as neither team was able to pull away to start. After a block from Wyatt brought the Panthers to within one, Coastal Carolina went on an 8-2 run to take an 18-12 lead. Georgia State fought back but eventually dropped the set, 20-25.
Overall, set three consisted of seven tied scores and six lead changes.
With their backs against the wall, the Panthers took the court in set four looking to stay alive in the match. Both teams were able to put together runs but, late in the set, the teams were all tied at 23. Percoco then notched two total blocks to help the Panthers win the set, 26-24.
Coastal Carolina came out aggressive in set five and jumped out to a 4-0 lead. The Panthers attempted to get back in the set but were unable to shift the momentum. The Chanticleers went on to win the set, 15-8, to notch the match victory.
The Panthers will hit the court again next Thursday, Oct. 7, when they host rival Georgia Southern at 6:30 p.m. at GSU Sports Arena.
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