STATESBORO, Ga. - The Georgia State volleyball team fell to rival Georgia Southern, 2-3 (15-25, 25-23, 25-22, 20-25, 15-17), in a competitive five-set battle Saturday night at Hanner Fieldhouse in Statesboro, Ga.

The Panthers fall to 3-13, 0-6 Sun Belt on the season while Georgia Southern improves to 12-4, 5-1 Sun Belt. 

The Panthers were led by freshman Evoni Lemons who notched her first career double-double with 19 kills and 10 digs. The Alpharetta, Ga., native also hit .349 for the match. 

Setters Truth Hafey and Claire Lewis also notched double-doubles for the Panthers as Hafey tallied 18 assists and 12 digs, while Lewis registered 17 assists and 11 digs. 

Georgia Southern opened set one on a 7-3 run but the Panthers immediately responded with a 5-2 run to pull within one point. The Eagles then went on a 14-7 run of their own to win the set, 25-15. The Panthers were led by Leah Wilcox in set one as the star senior tallied four kills while hitting .800.

After dropping the first set, Georgia State came out aggressive in sets two and three, winning both sets and notching a 2-1 match lead. Both sets were tightly contested but the Panthers earned consecutive narrow victories, 25-23 and 25-22. Lemons led the Panthers in sets two and three, as she accumulated eight kills and four digs over the two sets. 

During sets two and three, Georgia State tallied 27 kills and 31 digs as a team.

Georgia Southern responded to the Panthers solid performances in sets two and three with a victory in set four. Although the Panthers dropped set four, Lemons' stellar play from the previous sets carried over as she logged six kills while hitting .600. 

After dropping set four, the Panthers found themselves in familiar territory as they prepared for a fifth, and deciding, set. Like Thursday's contest against Georgia Southern, the Panthers got off to a slow start in set five and had to fight their way back into the set.

After going down 11-14, and facing match point, the Panthers tallied three consecutive kills from Julianna Truscott, Laura Ehieze and Lemons to tie the match. Georgia Southern then put together a 3-1 run to win the contest. 

The Panthers will look to bounce back when they travel to the state of Alabama for road contests against South Alabama (Oct. 15) and Troy (Oct. 16) next weekend. 

For news and notes, follow Georgia State volleyball on Instagram and Twitter (@GeorgiaStateVB).