ATLANTA - After falling to Chattanooga in the season opener, 1-3 (20-25, 25-11, 23-25, 21-25) the Georgia State volleyball team defeated California Baptist 3-0 (25-17, 25-22, 25-23) to go .500 through the first day of the Georgia State Invitational at GSU Sports Arena.

MATCH ONE
In the Panthers first contest against Chattanooga, GSU had a balanced attack as three player's recorded double-digit kills. Leah Wilcox led Georgia State with 14 kills and eight digs. Meisheia Griffin and Erin Wyatt also had stellar performances as the duo combined for 22 kills and 13 digs. 

Both teams came out aggressive in the first set, but neither team was able to gain a significant advantage early as the teams battled to a 5-5 ledger. Chattanooga eventually put together an 8-2 run to take a 13-7 lead and never looked back en route to a 25-20 victory.

Georgia State bounced back with a dominant performance in set two as the Panthers jumped out to a 13-3 advantage and went on to win the set 25-11. Wyatt and Griffin had standout performances in set two as they both logged four kills. Ava Vlkovic also had a stellar performance in set two as she notched a set-high nine digs. 

Chattanooga bounced back to take sets three and four to win the match, 3-1. The Mocs were led by Gylian Finch and Maia Rackel who tallied 14 kills and 13 kills, respectively. 

MATCH TWO
After dropping the first match of the day, Georgia State looked to bounce back against California Baptist later in the evening. In the early going of set one, both teams played excellent as neither team was able to pull away from the other. 

After eventually going down 12-14, head coach Sally Polhamus called a timeout to rally the Panther's, and dominance ensued. Georgia State went on a 13-3 run to win the match, 25-17. Laura Ehieze and Clara Bednarek had strong performances during the first set as they each notched three kills. 

The following sets were tightly contested, but the Panthers went on to win sets two and three in front of an energetic GSU crowd. Griffin and Bednarek led the Panther's in the second match with eight kills and seven kills, respectively.

OF NOTE

• In the two matches on Friday that didn't include GSU, Memphis earned victories over California Baptist and Chattanooga. 

The GSU Invitational is slated to resume on Saturday as California Baptist and Chattanooga will square off at 11 a.m. Shortly after, the Panthers will face undefeated Memphis at 2 p.m.

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