FOLEY, Ala. - The Georgia State volleyball team displayed a balanced offensive attack as the Panthers defeated Arkansas State, 3-1 (25-15, 27-25, 21-25, 25-22) Thursday evening to advance to the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt Championship.
Thursday's victory marked the Panthers second post-season victory since 2004 and the first time in program history that the Panthers have advanced to the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt Championship.
Setters Claire Lewis and Jenna Brown evenly distributed their passes as Meisheia Griffin, Leah Wilcox and Erin Wyatt each tallied double-digit kills to lead the Panthers. Julianna Truscott and Clara Bednarek also contributed offensively as they tallied nine kills and eight kills, respectively.
Griffin, the 2021 Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year, continued her stellar defensive play as she logged seven blocks in the middle. Libero Ava Vlkovic held down the Panther back row as she registered 23 digs for the contest.
The Panthers got off to a brilliant start in set one, jumping out to a 6-1 lead to start the match. Arkansas State then regrouped and quickly narrowed the deficit. After a kill from Macey Putt pulled the Red Wolves to within two, Georgia State went on a blistering 13-5 run to win the opening set, 25-15.
The Panthers were led by Bednarek in set one as she tallied three kills with a perfect hitting percentage.
Georgia State's momentum from set one carried over into set two as the Panthers opened the set on a 9-1 run. Arkansas State refused to go away as the Red Wolves responded with a 12-4 run of their own to tie the set at 13. The two teams traded points until Arkansas State jumped out to a 22-19 lead.
The Panthers then went on a 4-1 run to tie the set at 23; however, an ensuing service error from Vlkovic gave the Red Hawks set point. The Panthers were able to stave off set point and went on to win the set, 27-25, to take a 2-0 match lead.
Wyatt had a stellar performance in set two as she registered six kills and seven digs, while hitting over .300.
With their backs against the wall, Arkansas State came out aggressive in set three and took a 25-21 set victory. The Panthers put together several runs, and made the set competitive, but the Red Wolves got crucial kills in pivotal moments to win the set.
Georgia State was led by Wilcox in set three as she logged five kills and four digs.
Like majority of the match, set four contained several runs as Arkansas State came out strong and jumped out to a 10-4 lead. Georgia State immediately responded with a 5-0 run to pull within one. After back-and-forth action, Arkansas State pulled away to a 15-12 lead.
Once again, Georgia State responded with a major run as the Panthers scored seven unanswered to take a 19-15 lead. The Red Wolves fought to extend the match, but Georgia State refused to relinquish the lead and the Panthers went on to win the set, 25-22.
Griffin registered a set-high seven kills while hitting .556 to lead the Panthers in set four.
For the match, Georgia State held Putt, who led the Sun Belt in kills this season (471), to a .034 hitting percentage.
The Panthers will move on to face regular-season conference champion, and top-seeded, South Alabama tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. ET, live on ESPN+.
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