ATLANTA— No. 15-ranked Georgia State beach volleyball will host the annual GSU Diggin' Duals at the GSU Beach Volleyball Complex in Atlanta on Friday and Saturday, April 5-6. The two-day dual match tournament event will mark the second and final home outing for the Sandy Panthers in 2024, as head coach Beth Van Fleet and the team prepare to welcome a pair of ranked foes in No. 8 LSU, No. 17 Stetson, as well as FGCU and Sun Belt opposition, Southern Miss.   

The Sandy Panthers return to action after an off-week. Prior to the break in action, GSU competed in the Sun Belt Mid-Season Tournament in Huntsville, Ala. Georgia State recorded four 5-0 victories over the two-day tournament. The weekend was highlighted by Bella Ferary notching her 95th career win, surpassing the GSU program record. Angel Ferary and B. Ferary were named the Sun Belt Pair of the Week after recording a perfect record at the top-flight.

This week the Sandys will open tournament play against FGCU on Friday, April 5 at 10:30 a.m. GSU enters the sixth meeting between the two squads with a perfect 5-0 record. GSU will close the first day of action against Stetson. This marks the second meeting between GSU and Stetson this season with the Sandy Panthers sweeping the Hatters in the first outing. 

The next morning GSU will face No. 8 LSU. Last weekend the Tigers defeated No. 1 USC. Both teams enter the tournament with a 13-8 record on the season. The tournament will close with a conference showdown against Southern Miss. The two programs last met in 2022 during the opening round of the C-USA Championships. The Sandys defeated the Golden Eagles, 4-1, en route to earning the 2022 C-USA Conference title. Now both programs compete in the Sun Belt Conference.

The program's seniors will be recognized prior to the contest against Southern Miss on Saturday. The senior ceremony will take place on the beach courts at 4:30 p.m. The Ferary sisters, Lila Bordis, Maren Palmer, and Elise Saga will be honored. Prior to the senior ceremony, GSU beach volleyball alumni will be invited to participate in a "first serve" on the court.