ATLANTA, GA --The Georgia State volleyball team defeated the JMU Dukes 3-2 (20-25, 28-26, 22-25, 25-16, 15-11) Friday at home at GSU Sports Arena.

The victory improved the Panthers' record to 10-5 overall and 1-2 in Sun Belt action.

The Panthers were led by a double-double from Alessia Cappai, who registered 16 kills and 19 digs on the day. Keionna MacKey also added 21 kills to help the offense. On the defensive end, Kaleigh Fitzgerald chipped in for with 18 digs to go with four blocks from Kayla Broom.

Game Notes

» Georgia State had three players in double figures in kills.
» Georgia State had three players in double figures in digs.
» Kaleigh Fitzgerald had a team-high two aces in the win.
» Alessia Cappai registered a double-double with 16 kills and 19 digs
» Georgia State never trailed on the way to winning the fourth set 15-11.
» Keionna MacKey had a match-high 21 kills for Georgia State.
» Georgia State got a team-high 19 digs from Alessia Cappai.
» Georgia State attackers were helped by a match-high 35 assists from Shanelle Martinez.

How It Happened

SET 1 | The Panthers lost the first set 25-20 despite a solid performance on the attacking end. Georgia State put together a .306 attack percentage with 17 kills in the set loss.

SET 2 | Georgia State fought back after dropping the first set to take the second set 28-26, tying the match at 1-1. The Panthers grabbed the set powered by a solid showing on the attacking side. Georgia State put together a .342 attack percentage with 19 kills in the set win. After the lead changed hands five times, the Panthers took control for good at 27-26 and rode that advantage to victory.

SET 3 | JMU went ahead 2-1 in the match after defeating the Panthers in set three. The Panthers couldn't hang on in a back-and-forth battle, losing 25-22 in a set that featured three lead changes and was tied nine times. Neither team had a lead of more than four points along the way.

SET 4 | Georgia State then responded to secure the fourth set 25-16 to force a fifth set. The Panthers took the lead for good at 7-6 in a set that had just one lead change before the Panthers took over the lead. Georgia State got a solid defensive performance from a front row that blocked four JMU attacks in the stanza.

SET 5 | Down two sets to one, Georgia State powered back to win the final two sets, culminating in a 15-11 fifth-set victory, to take the match 3-2. The Panthers scored first and never trailed in set five to secure the victory. Georgia State ended on a high note, opening its biggest lead of the stanza, four points, to finish off the set, collecting 12 kills along the way.

Next up, the Panthers take on JMU on Saturday Oct. 5 at 2:00 p.m.