GULF SHORES, Ala.— Georgia State beach volleyball opened competition at the 2024 NCAA Championship in Gulf Shores on Friday as the No. 14 seed in the tournament and fell to No. 3 seed Stanford, 3-0, in the Round of 16. With the loss, head coach Beth Ven Fleet and the Sandy Panthers wrap 2024 charting a 26-13 final record for the season after defending their Sun Belt Conference Championship title to earn the team's fifth national tournament berth.
Stanford jumped to an early lead on each of the courts, taking the first set in every position.
Lila Bordis and
Aree Keller, AVCA Top-Flight recipients, battled in the second set, but ultimately were outlasted by the Cardinal opponents. Shortly after, the Ferary sisters fell on court 1, giving Stanford the 2-0 advantage. With action remaining on courts four and five, Stanford secured the dual with a win over
Savannah Ebarb and
Destiny White in position 3.
Elise Saga and
Aliisa Vuorinen and
Ayla Johnson and
Courtney Smith played at the fourth and fifth flights respectively.
Today's match concludes
Angel Ferary,
Bella Ferary,
Lila Bordis,
Elise Saga, and
Maren Palmer's GSU beach volleyball careers. Saga, a fifth-year from Norway, has been a leader throughout her time as a Sandy Panther. She has proven reliable in the postseason earning the 2023 and 2024 Sun Belt Conference Championship Pair of the Tournament award. Bordis, who transferred to GSU last season, made an immediate impact, winning the 2023 Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year honor. This season Bordis led GSU in wins with 29. The Ferary sisters end their career as the winningest pair in GSU history with 100 victories.
The 26-13 final record marks the second most wins in program history and the eighth straight year that GSU has posted 20 or more victories.
Follow Georgia State beach volleyball on social media (
@GSUBeachVb) for continued news and updates as the team enters the offseason.
