BVB 2023 // Ayla Johnson x Maddy Delmonte

Beach Volleyball 4/17/2023 1:08:00 AM

No. 14 Sandy Panthers Finish 1-3 in Honolulu to Wrap Regular Season

HONOLULU— No. 14-ranked Georgia State beach volleyball closed its regular season with a 1-3 mark at the Hawaii Invitational on Sunday. Maddy Delmonte and Ayla Johnson posted a second consecutive unbeaten 4-0 record as a pair for the weekend in Honolulu, as the fourth-flight duo downed host No. 8 Hawaii and No. 20 Arizona in back-to-back duals on Saturday and Sunday.

Now standing at 86 total career wins at GSU, the fifth-year senior Delmonte is now just six victories shy of the Sandy Panthers' program high of 92. Teaming with Johnson for every outing in 2023, the pair has accounted for 19 wins thus far in the season.

The weekend for No. 14-ranked GSU was highlighted by a 4-1 team victory over No. 20 Arizona to open the tournament. Aliisa Vuorinen and Destiny White would team at the fifth flight and also chart back-to-back wins for the first day of competition, while Yasmin Kuck and Lila Bordis notched match point for GSU with a three-set victory over the Wildcats at the second flight.

The team's second match of the tournament on Saturday would see GSU battle the hosting BeachBows and take a 2-0 lead, before falling short in tightly-contested matchups at flights one-three and dropping a narrow 3-2 decision for the dual. The Sandy Panthers returned to action on Sunday for rematches facing each team and once again fell short against Hawaii, 4-1.

GSU closed tournament play for the weekend in Honolulu with another battle facing Arizona, with the Sandys taking a 2-1 lead for the dual before dropping at the first and second flights and falling to the Wildcats, 3-2. Fifth-year senior Kelly Dorn secured an 80th career win on Sunday facing the No. 20-ranked foe, pairing with teammate Elise Saga for a 21-19, 21-19 victory at the third flight.

The No. 11-ranked Sandy Panthers wrap the regular season with a 16-16 record on the season following the 1-3 finish in Hawaii and will enter competition at the inaugural Sun Belt Conference Beach Volleyball Championship on April 27-29. Dual matches will be contested at the John Hunt Park Sand Volleyball Complex in Huntsville, Ala.

Updates regarding the SBC Tournament will be released on the team's social media and on the web leading up to the event. Visit the conference's tournament central webpage for more information.

For the latest news and complete coverage of the Sandy Panthers' 2023 post-season campaign, follow the team on social (@GSUBeachVB).

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