Sandy Panthers Close Historic 2022 Season

Beach Volleyball 5/7/2022 5:23:00 PM

Sandy Panthers Close Historic 2022 Season

Gulf Shores, Ala.— Advancing to the round of six at the NCAA National Collegiate Beach Volleyball Championship in Gulf Shores, the No. 10-seeded Georgia State beach volleyball team fell short of victory facing No. 3 seed UCLA and No. 4 seed LMU on Saturday. With the double elimination, the Sandy Panthers close a historic 2022 season having posted a 28-13 final record for the year and charting the largest upset in NCAA beach volleyball tournament history downing No. 2 seed TCU on Friday.

With the upset victory over No. 2 TCU, the Panthers secured a second victory in NCAA tournament play for the first time in GSU school history across all sports. The win also marks a tie for the highest-ranked victory in GSU athletics history.

The Panthers opened play in Gulf Shores on Saturday battling No. 3 UCLA for a third-round matchup to advance to the NCAA Championship semifinals. The outing saw tight battles at every court as GSU ultimately dropped at the top three flights and fell in Saturday's first dual, 3-0.

Fighting for the chance to extend tournament play, the Panthers faced No. 4 seed LMU on Saturday afternoon and gained the early advantage, 1-0, with a victory from Angel Ferary and Bella Ferary at court four. The win places the sister duo at a 37-2 final record for the season as a pair.

The Ferary's close the spring 2022 season earning All-Conference USA First-Team honors, All-Tournament Team honors for the C-USA Championship, AVCA Top Flight honors and end the season holding school records for both individual as well as pair win totals for GSU beach volleyball. The sisters end the season charting a .949% winning percentage— the highest in school history.

Despite hard-fought competition at flights No. 2, No. 3 and No. 5, the Panthers narrowly dropped at each position as LMU defeated GSU, 3-1. Elise Saga and Kelly Dorn finished the match leading in three sets at the top court.

With 14 straight wins prior to Saturday's defeats, the Panthers set a new beach volleyball school record for longest winning streak as a team. GSU wraps its spring 2022 campaign as one of the most successful teams in GSU athletics history.

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