ATLANTA - Evoni Lemons and Meisheia Griffin combined for 25 kills as the Georgia State volleyball team defeated UT Arlington, 3-2 (26-24, 20-25, 17-25, 25-16, 15-12) Friday night at GSU Sports Arena. 

Lemons and Griffin led the Panthers with stellar performances offensively and defensively. Lemons tallied 16 kills and 11 digs, while Griffin notched 11 kills and eight blocks. 

Julianna Truscott also had a strong performance as she added eight kills and seven blocks.

The Panthers displayed a balanced attack as Lemons, Griffin, Truscott, Clara Bednarek, Leah Wilcox and Laura Ehieze all registered eight or more kills. 

Georgia State earned a tight victory in set one, before dropping the following two sets. The Panthers then earned crucial victories in sets four and five to take the match. 

Five Panthers tallied two or more kills in set one as Georgia State earned a 26-24 set victory. Although the set was tightly contested, Georgia State led the majority of the way as UT Arlington only held the lead on one occasion.  The Panthers were led by Ehieze who tallied two kills while hitting .667.

UT Arlington came out aggressive in set two as the Mavericks jumped out to a 7-2 lead early. Georgia State put together a series of mini-runs but was unable to cut down the deficit. UT Arlington went on to win set two, 25-20. The Panthers were led by Lemons who registered three kills while hitting .375. 

UT Arlington got off to another hot start in set three as the Mavericks jumped out to a 10-3 lead. The Mavericks held onto the lead and won the set, 25-17, to take a 2-1 match lead.

With its back against the wall, Georgia State put together a stellar performance in set four to tie the match, 2-2. The Panthers were led by Bednarek who tallied six kills while hitting .455. Lemons and Wilcox led the Panthers defensively with five digs each.

Georgia State's momentum from set four carried over into set five as the Panthers jumped out to a 9-3 lead. UT Arlington quickly responded with a 9-3 run of its own to tie the match at 12. A kill from Lemons, followed by back-to-back blocks from Griffin and Truscott, gave the Panthers three consecutive points to win the match 15-12.

Georgia State will look for its second victory in as many days when it hosts Texas State tomorrow (Oct. 30) at GSU Sports Arena.

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